In 1968 or thereabouts I was assigned a casualty claim under a Homeowner Policy. It was a dog bite claim of a 12 year old girl in Athol. The girl had received a bite by a neighbor's dog losing the first digit to her left finger. She was treated at the Athol, MA hospital. History was made as the girl contracted lockjaw. Tetanus. It was the first case in 14 years! This insurance claim troubled me to no end!
The owners of the dog said to me: "You made us feel as if we bit off the portion of the girl's finger."
In dealing with the claimant's mother I lost the case to an Athol attorney. My reserve in $ was about $10,000. The lawyer settled the claim with me for $12,000...amount I was willing to pay the family direct.
The disfigurement factor was for life. How do you evaluate such a loss?
NEXT came a claim made for another dog bite. A young boy was bitten by a dog in the face. The vermillion part of his lower lip had been removed by the bite. I don't recall any of the details of how the claim ended up.
Dogs, by their very nature, are animals not humans.
Another dog related story came in the same period. I was calling on an insured for a written and signed statement. Upon calling at the screen door a Great Dane jumped on it and his paw hit the handle and opened the door! Then the "Dane" sunk his teeth into my leather brief case! I yelled for help. The insured pulled the dog away from me.
The moral of this story: Beware of dogs as they DO bite humans.
ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN
INSURANCE ADJUSTER FOR AETNA
Box 11
West Brookfield, MA 01585
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