Dog Bite Liability

Tuesday, April 11th, 2006 Liability

In 2005 dog bites cost insurers $317.2 billion, little changed from $321.6 billion in 2003 but down 8 percent from $345.5 billion in 2002. While the number of claims paid by insurers fell from approximately 20,800 in 2002 to 15,000 in 2005, the cost of the average dog bite claim rose sharply, from roughly $16,600 in 2002 to $21,200 in 2005. Liability claims account for approximately 4 percent of homeowners claims. Dog bite claims in 2005 accounted for about 15 percent of liability claims dollars paid under homeowners insurance policies.

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http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/dogbite/

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