Dog Bites on the Rise for Mail Carriers

Dog bites can be a serious problem for anyone who is unfortunate enough to run into a mean or frightened dog showing aggressive tendencies. However, one particular group of people is at an even higher risk for dog bites – the people who deliver our mail every day.

Risky Deliveries

In fact, postal workers are even more at risk today than they were a few years ago. Evidence shows that dog attacks on mail carriers are on the rise. This increase can be traced to the massive increase in online retail sales, meaning more and more package deliveries.

According to the Chicago Tribune, dog attacks on mail carriers rose to 6,755 last year, over 200 more than the previous year and the highest rate in three decades. As more and more people turn to the internet to do their shopping, and as consumers increasingly expect seven-day-a-week deliveries, these postal employees have more potential interactions with aggressive dogs.

The top three cities for postal worker dog attacks are Los Angeles, Houston, and Cleveland. The United States Postal Service released these annual numbers in April as an important part of National Dog Bite Prevention Week.

Linda DeCarlo, the U.S. Postal Service Safety Director, urges dog bite prevention training and continued education to keep pets, owners, and visitors safe. She suggests that owners place their dogs in a separate room in the home before opening the door, and to avoid taking mail directly from the postal worker in front of a dog, because this interaction can be viewed as a threatening gesture by the dog.

Dog Bites Aren’t Cheap

For the postal service alone, medical expenses and workers’ compensation for dog bites costs millions of dollars every year. Unfortunately, postal employees are not the only people at risk for dog bites – an estimated 4.5 million Americans are bitten by dogs every year, mostly children.

The medical expenses and other related costs of being a victim of a dog bite can be challenging for any family. If you or someone in your family has experienced a dog bite, you may be entitled to legal compensation. It is important for you to speak with an experienced Las Cruces dog bite attorney to help you determine whether you have a potentially actionable claim.

Here in New Mexico, the Law Office of Samuel I. Kane have years of experience litigating dog bite cases and are here to help injured clients receive justice in the form of maximum compensation. Call us today at (575) 541-3004 to schedule your free consultation with one of our attorneys.