Dog owners can be held responsible for accidents involving their pets and must have enough insurance to protect themselves. All dogs can cause permanent scarring and injuries; there are no exceptions based on size, breeds, or temperament. Lack of adequate insurance coverage can have devastating consequences for all parties involved. Pet owners may have enough insurance to cover dog bites through their homeowners or renter’s insurance policies. Still, typically there are exclusions or coverage limits when accidents include animals, or there may be certain breeds of dogs that policies won’t cover.
Therefore, all dog owners must verify that their insurance provides enough coverage for accidents involving their pets. It is essential to confirm coverage limits. Make sure your policy includes a minimum of $1,000 for no-fault medical and $100,000 for liability. Ideally, policies should cover $300,000 for liability and $5,000 for no-fault medical. This coverage can be purchased in a single policy or as supplemental umbrella coverage to a primary policy, such as your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy.
Dog owners should check their homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy to determine coverage limits. Should coverage not include accidents caused by pets, owners may want to purchase a canine liability policy or buy a separate umbrella policy to provide additional coverage to supplement your primary policy.
If your current primary policy covers accidents involving dogs, but the coverage doesn’t meet the recommended minimums for liability, purchase an umbrella policy, or an excess policy, which is an inexpensive option to add up to $1 million in coverage.
If a dog attacks and the owner is found responsible for the injuries, they may not be able to pay the judgment if they don’t have insurance coverage. There are a few different types of insurance coverage for incidents involving injuries caused by dogs.
HOMEOWNER’S POLICY TO COVER DOG BITES
Typically, victims of dog attacks claims are paid by the homeowner’s insurance. If the incident happens on the homeowner’s property, it will be covered by the liability policy. Unfortunately, there may be an animal exclusion or breed-specific exclusion that means the insurance company will not cover the claim.
RENTER’S INSURANCE TO PAY FOR DOG ATTACK
If the dog attack happens on property rented by the pet owner, damages may be covered under their rental insurance policy. However, many renters choose not to purchase these policies, and coverage limits tend to be lower than for homeowners’ policies.
LIABILITY INSURANCE FOR CANINES
Some pet owners purchase canine liability insurance to supplement their homeowner’s insurance policy, but this type of insurance is rare. In cases where a Texas government authority has declared a dog dangerous, the owner must purchase liability coverage of $100,000.
CONTACT A HOUSTON DOG BITE LAWYER FOR HELP
If you’ve been injured or attacked by a dog, the above insurance policies are your best hope for recovery. An experienced dog bite lawyer will check for the above coverage in hopes of covering the costs of your injuries. Chelsie King Garza can help. As a personal injury lawyer will experience helping dog bite victims, Chelsie King Garza can help you recover from your dog bite injuries. Contact her today.
