Bites down, claims up
While the reported number of dog bite liability claims dropped last year, the amount of money involved in those claims increased 10.5 percent, according to a study released Wednesday by the Insurance Information Institute.
The Associated Press reports that the total number of dog bite claims actually slipped 0.9 percent to 14,531 in 2007, from 14,661 in 2006. But the Institute said the average cost per claim jumped 11.5 percent to $24,511, pushing total claims higher to $356.2 million in 2007, from $322.3 million the year before.
Dog bites represented about one-third of all homeowners insurance claims last year, according to the study.
Increases in the cost per claim are a result of rising medical costs, settlements, judgments and jury awards, the institute said.
