For several years, Houston has maintained the record for most postal workers bit by a dog. In 2019, eighty-five postal workers were attacked in Houston, Texas. The next highest number of attacks with seventy-four is in Los Angeles. Five of the top twenty cities with the most dog attacks on postal workers are in Texas. Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth, and El Paso all made the top twenty list nationwide. Texas has a dog attack problem.
In 2019, 5,803 USPS employees were attacked by dogs nationwide. These attacks could be drastically reduced if dog owners took simple protective measures to reduce the risk of an attack. These common-sense safety measures include the following:
- Place your dog in a separate room with the door closed before opening the front door for the postal worker. The dog will be unable to escape through the open front door or burst through a screen door if it is in another room with the door closed.
- Instruct your children and guests to not open a door for a mail carrier if the dog is not locked in another room.
If your dog attacks a postal worker, USPS may refuse to deliver mail to your home for a period of time. You may have to pick up your mail from a post office location until the letter carrier is assured that the dog is properly restrained. Sometimes, warning letters are sent to dog owners preemptively if the dog is routinely unrestrained and showing potential signs of aggression when mail is delivered. If dog owners took the risk of their dogs attacking people more seriously, many dog bites could be prevented.
Postal worker injuries increase costs for the United States Postal Service because USPS pays for medical care and lost wages for its employees injured on the job. A serious injury from one dog attack may cost USPS hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills.
O’Hara Law Firm Represents Postal Workers
The O’Hara Law Firm has resolved car accident and dog bite claims for several different USPS carriers. The O’Hara Law Firm resolved a case earlier this year on behalf of a postal worker that was a bit on the face by a pit bull while delivering mail. The case was settled shortly after the lawsuit was filed and the dog owner’s insurance carrier was notified of the claim. The O’Hara Law Firm resolved several other dog bite claims for postal workers injured over the past few years. These postal workers suffered injuries to their arms, legs and hands during the dog attacks. Many of them suffered from nightmares and other psychological trauma after the attacks.
The firm currently represents a postal worker who suffers from permanent nerve damage as a result of a dog attack. The postal worker has claims for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, impairment, disfigurement, and mental anguish. A dog bite can cause permanent injuries that will affect the victim for the rest of her life. One bite from a large dog can permanently alter someone’s life.
Sometimes, postal workers are attacked by a loose dog roaming a neighborhood. However, most dog attacks occur when a dog owner accepts mail or a package from the postal worker. The dog will burst through a screen door or run out through a partially opened door to attack the postal worker. Most of the dog bites would not have occurred if the owner had put the dog in a separate room before opening the front door.
The O’Hara Law Firm has recovered millions for dog bite victims. Several other personal injury law firms refer dog bite victims to the O’Hara Law Firm for representation because of our experience and knowledge of handling dog bite claims. We have recovered compensation for all types of victims, including adults, children, the elderly, postal workers, police officers, contractors, Amazon delivery drivers, and UPS drivers. If you have been injured by a dog, call the O’Hara Law Firm at 832-956-1138 for a free consultation.