Facial Dog Bite at a Friend’s Home in Northeastern Maryland: How Lasting Scars Were Valued

Overview

• PPLT attorney: Jason Plotkin

What happened?

Our client was bitten in the face by a friend’s dog while visiting the friend’s home by invitation.

She and the dog had played outside without trouble. Back inside, she bent down near the dog, and it bit her face without warning. The dog was loose in the home.

She went to urgent care that same day and was sent on to the ER. The hospital reported the bite to county animal control, which is common after a dog bite. We later got the animal control report through a public records request.

Fault was never really in question. The owner didn’t dispute that her dog bit our client, and the insurer never argued otherwise. In Maryland, a dog owner is generally presumed to know their dog could be dangerous when it bites someone, though the owner can try to prove otherwise.

What injuries did our client suffer?

The bite left several deep cuts on her face, including her cheek and chin. One cut on her upper cheek was close to her eye.

Her first doctor sent her to the ER to check whether the tear duct had been damaged. Thankfully, it hadn’t. The ER closed the wounds with stitches, started antibiotics, and consulted a facial plastic surgeon.

The bigger problem showed up over the following months: scarring. Scar tissue near her eye hardened and pulled, and early on she said it affected the vision on that side.

She had some unrelated past medical history. None of it involved her face. We kept those records separate and built the claim only on bite-related care. The insurer never raised a prior-condition argument.

A year after the bite, her dermatologist documented that the scars were permanent and hadn’t reached the treatment goal. More laser treatments and follow-up visits were recommended. Scarring cases usually don’t come with an impairment rating, and this one didn’t either.

What treatment did our client need?

Her care ran about 13 months, with about nine visits across four providers:

Urgent care, then the hospital ER the same day for stitches and antibiotics

Plastic surgery follow-ups, three visits over about five weeks, with stitches out within a week

Dermatology for the scars, four visits over about 11 months: scar counseling and massage, a steroid injection into the scars, then laser treatment

She didn’t need surgery beyond the stitches.

There was a gap of about seven months between her first and second dermatology visits. That was her doctor’s plan, not a lapse: scars need time to mature before injections. The insurer never raised it.

Her employer health plan paid her bills. When a health plan pays for injury care, it generally has a right to be repaid from the settlement, so we matched every bill against the plan’s claim before sending the demand.

The practical takeaway: Don’t stop scar treatment early. The record of that treatment is often what shows an insurer the scarring is permanent.

How did the injuries affect our client’s life and work?

For weeks, she cleaned and dressed the wounds twice a day. For months after that, she massaged the scars every day.

The harder part was how she felt about her face. She traveled with visible bandages and later used heavy makeup, and people still stared. She started wearing makeup every day for the first time in decades. She skipped a social gathering because she was uncomfortable with how she looked. Her doctors told her not to put her face underwater, so she sat out swimming on a long-planned family trip.

She missed only a few days of work. She also paid for wound-care supplies, scar creams, and better makeup to cover the scars.

Our demand also included the value of the household tasks she couldn’t fully handle for about 13 months.

In Maryland, an injured person can generally seek medical expenses, lost earnings, and non-economic damages such as pain, suffering, disfigurement, and embarrassment. In a scarring case, the non-economic harm is often the heart of the claim.

What made this case difficult?

The main challenge was a gap between the bills and the harm. Her medical bills were modest. Her scars were permanent and on her face. Insurers often value claims by looking at the bills first.

The dog owner was her friend. She didn’t want her friend contacted or the friendship damaged.

Paperwork before she had a lawyer. The owner’s insurer was already sending her document requests and questions, and she felt overwhelmed.

Slow records. Several providers were slow or sent incomplete bills, and it took about 11 months of repeated requests to get everything.

Treatment that kept going. Her scar care lasted more than a year, so the claim couldn’t be fairly valued until laser treatment started.

Three adjusters. The claim changed hands at the insurance company three times.

None of these issues made the claim weak. They made it slow, and they meant the value had to be shown, not just stated.

How did we handle it?

Took over the insurer contact. Once she hired us, every document request and call went through our office.

Protected the friendship. We explained that we deal with the insurance company, not her friend, and gave her a simple way to explain her decision. Jason Plotkin answered her questions about this within a day.

Locked down the coverage. We confirmed the policy limit and the medical payments benefit early.

Gathered the proof. We requested every record, photo, and bill from every provider, and got the animal control report.

Captured the daily impact. We asked her to keep a diary of the day of the bite and the months after.

Waited for the right time. We held the demand until her scar treatment reached the laser stage, so the record showed the scars were permanent and still being treated.

Built the demand around her face, not her bills. The demand focused on disfigurement and embarrassment, plus household help and future scar care.

Set a deadline. We sent a time-limited policy-limits demand and reminded the insurer of its duty to protect its own policyholder.

The turning point was that demand. The insurer offered its full policy limit.

Before she signed, Jason Plotkin walked her through the settlement sheet. She signed electronically that same evening.

What was the result?

The case settled before any lawsuit, for the full limit of the dog owner’s homeowner’s policy. Her friend was never sued, and the insurer paid her health plan directly from the settlement.

Every case is different. Our past results are no assurance that we will reach a favorable result in any future case.

What this means if you’re in a similar situation

A claim against a friend’s dog is usually a claim against the friend’s homeowner’s or renter’s insurance.

You don’t have to answer the owner’s insurer alone. A lawyer can handle those requests.

Low medical bills don’t always mean a low-value claim. Permanent scarring matters, especially on the face.

Keep a diary and follow through on scar treatment. Both help show what the injury really cost you.

Watch the clock. Maryland generally gives you three years from the bite to file a personal injury lawsuit.

Will my health insurance pay for scar treatment like laser?

It depends on your plan. Some plans cover scar treatment after an injury, and some treat it as cosmetic. Our client’s employer plan paid her bills. If your health plan pays, it generally has the right to be repaid from your settlement, so always tell your lawyer you used health insurance.