Dog bites lead to many mail carriers being injured on the job
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June 2, 2015As in most other occupations, those who deliver mail have to face daily safety hazards. The number of South Carolina mail carriers that have been injured on the job is a matter of concern, and many injuries suffered by these workers are caused by dog bites. The U.S. Postal Service recently urged South Carolina residents to restrain their dogs – or lock them up – during the times that mail is delivered.
Statistics shows that 31 mail carriers have suffered dog bites since January of 2014. Although any dog bite requires immediate medical care to avoid complications, it is alarming that 10 of these bites were severe enough to be reported to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Records show that the dog attacks took place across South Carolina, but six of those incidents occurred in Greenville, the most of any other city.
The safety manager of the Greater South Carolina District published some ideas for dog owners on how to prevent their dogs from biting mail carriers. The tips include locking the dogs up and teaching children not to ask a mail carrier to hand the mail to them. An otherwise docile dog may interpret the mail carrier’s gesture of handing over the mail as threatening, seeing this as a reason to attack. In some cases, dog owners may need to pick up their mail at the post office instead of having it delivered to their homes.
Workers who are injured on the job may pursue compensation to cover medical expenses that were incurred. Such financial relief is obtained by filing benefit claims with the workers’ compensation insurance fund. Workers are typically barred from filing claims against their employers. Nevertheless, mail carriers who are bitten by the dogs of people in the areas where they deliver mail may be entitled to file third party claims of personal injury against the dog owners in a civil court. While workers compensation benefits cover only medical expenses and a portion of lost wages, a civil claim may include other losses such as pain and suffering and can be filed in addition to a workers’ compensation claim.
Source: ABC News, “U.S. Postal Service asks SC residents to lock up dogs“, May 20, 2015
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Steven Krause is a personal injury, auto accident, and workers’ compensation lawyer who practices in Anderson, SC. He graduated form the Thomas M. Cooley School of Law and has been practicing law for 40 years now. Steven Krause believes in fighting for the injured. Learn more about his experience here.
