freeusername
Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? MA
My dog bit a child in the parking lot of my apartment building. The child rode his scooter right at the dog, the dog jumped on him and bit him. There was a small scratch which stopped bleeding when I used an wipe on it. I bandaged it. The parents took him to the emergency room where the wound was cleaned out and he was given antibiotics as a precautionary measure. No stitches. It was described as one small puncture wound. It was a very unfortunate accident with my generally well-behaved lab.
The hospital had to report the bite. My dog was quarantined for 10 days and released.
I did not have contact information for the parents, but through another neighbor I offered the pay the medical bills. The parents never got back to me. A few weeks later I received a letter from a lawyer letting me know they were going to hold me liable. Four months later I received a demand stating the medical bills were $1329.00 and they were seeking $6000.00. I immediately called the lawyer and said I would be happy to pay the medical bills, as I had offered to before. Nine months later I received a letter from the attorney stating their clients rejected my offer of medical payments. It is 2 months later and I just received a second letter, identical to that one.
As an aside, I have since moved and the letters are being forwarded to me.
My question is what action, if any, is required of me. I know that I am liable for the medical bills and offered to pay them and my offer was rejected. I am not going to file an insurance claim because I have the money. I certainly don't think I need to pay $6000. Do I just wait for them to take me to court? Do I have any obligation to let the lawyer know my new address? Do I just send a check for the medical bills?
My dog bit a child in the parking lot of my apartment building. The child rode his scooter right at the dog, the dog jumped on him and bit him. There was a small scratch which stopped bleeding when I used an wipe on it. I bandaged it. The parents took him to the emergency room where the wound was cleaned out and he was given antibiotics as a precautionary measure. No stitches. It was described as one small puncture wound. It was a very unfortunate accident with my generally well-behaved lab.
The hospital had to report the bite. My dog was quarantined for 10 days and released.
I did not have contact information for the parents, but through another neighbor I offered the pay the medical bills. The parents never got back to me. A few weeks later I received a letter from a lawyer letting me know they were going to hold me liable. Four months later I received a demand stating the medical bills were $1329.00 and they were seeking $6000.00. I immediately called the lawyer and said I would be happy to pay the medical bills, as I had offered to before. Nine months later I received a letter from the attorney stating their clients rejected my offer of medical payments. It is 2 months later and I just received a second letter, identical to that one.
As an aside, I have since moved and the letters are being forwarded to me.
My question is what action, if any, is required of me. I know that I am liable for the medical bills and offered to pay them and my offer was rejected. I am not going to file an insurance claim because I have the money. I certainly don't think I need to pay $6000. Do I just wait for them to take me to court? Do I have any obligation to let the lawyer know my new address? Do I just send a check for the medical bills?