If your child was bitten by a dog, the stitches, the antibiotics, and the scar are only part of what you're dealing with. You're also watching a child who may now flinch at the sight of any dog, who may not sleep through the night, and whose face or arm might carry a mark into adulthood. That combination, physical injury plus a developing child, is why these cases deserve a lawyer who treats them differently from the start. Call The Lawyers of Brown and Roberto at (865) 761-2702 for a free consultation. Our firm works on a contingency basis.
Why a Child's Bite Is Rarely "Just a Scar"
A bite that leaves a two-inch scar on an adult's forearm is a cosmetic issue. That same bite on a five-year-old's cheek grows and stretches as the child does, often requiring revision surgery years later, sometimes more than once, as skin and bone develop. CDC data shows children between five and nine have the highest dog bite rates of any age group, and because of their height, they're far more likely than adults to be bitten on the face, head, and neck rather than the hand or leg. That location difference matters enormously for scarring, nerve damage, and how a case gets valued.
A child doesn't always say "I'm scared" the way an adult would. Instead, you might notice a refusal to go outside, new bedwetting, clinginess, or a sudden fear of the family's own pet. These behavioral shifts are real evidence of harm, but they require documentation from a pediatrician or child psychologist to hold up in a claim, not just a parent's observation.
It's also worth knowing that Tennessee's strict liability standard for dog bites still applies no matter your child's age. What shifts is comparative fault. An insurance adjuster might argue an adult provoked a dog or ignored a "beware of dog" sign to reduce a payout, but that defense carries far less weight, and often none at all, when the victim is a toddler or young child who can't reasonably be expected to read or avoid a dog's warning signs the way an adult can.
The First 48 Hours: Decisions Parents Face Beyond the ER
Once the wound is treated, you're often left making calls: Do you need a rabies risk evaluation? Should a plastic surgeon see the wound before it's stitched by an ER physician who may not specialize in pediatric scar minimization? Should your child talk to animal control, and if so, how do you prepare them for that conversation? Whatever you decide, start building a record now: photos of the wound and the scene, the dog's rabies vaccination status, any animal control report, and the contact information of whoever was supervising the dog at the time. That file becomes the foundation of the claim later, and it's much harder to rebuild after the fact than to start on day one.
These aren't questions most parents have faced before, and you shouldn't have to sort through them alone while also comforting a frightened child. This is where having one assigned relationship specialist from the start makes a real difference. Instead of explaining your situation to a new person every time you call, you work with the same point of contact who already knows your child's case, your medical appointments, and your concerns. As one client, Keely M., put it after working with attorney Andrew Roberto: "He walked me step by step through each process." That kind of continuity matters even more when a child, not just a parent, is the one recovering.
Every Place a Child Could Get Bitten, and Who Else Might Owe Compensation
Most people assume only the dog's owner can be held responsible. For child victims, that's often not true, and figuring out who else might be liable can meaningfully change what compensation is available, since the location of the bite often points to a second, sometimes better-insured, source of recovery.
- In-home daycare or babysitter's home: If a licensed or unlicensed childcare provider kept a dog on the property, their homeowner's or business liability policy may come into play, separate from any coverage the dog owner personally carries.
- Grandparents or family friends: These cases feel uncomfortable to pursue, but homeowner's insurance, not the family member personally, typically pays the claim. A lawyer can handle that conversation so you don't have to.
- School or after-school program grounds: If a bite happened during a supervised activity, such as a nature program or a visiting therapy dog gone wrong, the school or program's supervision failures may create a separate prem