UPS driver suffers dog bite, loses finger tip

While mailmen are often thought to be cautious of dogs on their delivery routes, other types of delivery people are at risk of suffering dog bites while making their appointed rounds as well.  In Wisconsin last week, a UPS delivery driver was dropping off a package at a home in Reedsburg when the customer's dog lunged and bit him, biting off the tip of his finger.  The finger tip was put in the freezer while waiting for the rescue squad to arrive for possible reattachment surgery.

When you suffer an injury on the job, including from dog bites, you are entitled to receive worker's compensation benefits.  The basic worker's compensation benefits in Illinois include:

• Two thirds of your average weekly wage while you are off work, known as Temporary Total Disability, or TTD payments;
• Payment of related medical expenses; and
• A lump sum settlement for permanency associated with the injury.

 

In situations such as this where there is someone besides yourself, your employer, or a co-worker responsible for your injuries, you can also file a third party liability lawsuit against the at-fault party, in this case the dog owner.  This would allow you to recover the full range of damages that you suffered as a result of the accident.

However, while you can file both cases, you generally do not get to keep all of the money from both cases.  From your employer's perspective, it is not their fault that you got hurt either, so the Worker's Compensation Act provides that they will have a right of recovery, or a lien, against any settlement you receive from a liability suit. 

Dealing with two separate, but related cases, is a complex undertaking, so we recommend that people injured at work who also have a liability lawsuit of any kind, including a dog bite suit, should hire an experienced personal injury lawyer to represent them.