Some people meet more dogs in a single shift than most of us meet in a month. Mail carriers. Package and food delivery drivers. Home health aides. Plumbers, electricians, meter readers, landscapers. In Utopia, a residential area of houses and yards, a lot of that work happens right at the front door, on the stoop, or on the sidewalk outside someone’s home. That’s also where a lot of bites happen.
If you were bitten while you were working, this page is for you. Your situation has a few twists that other bite victims don’t face, and it helps to understand them early.
You May Have Two Paths, Not One
Here’s the part most injured workers don’t hear about. When you’re bitten on the job, you generally get workers’ compensation through your employer. That’s the first path, and it starts with telling your boss what happened.
But that’s not always the end of it. The dog’s owner may also owe you compensation in a claim of its own. Workers’ comp comes from your employer’s side. The owner’s responsibility is a different matter, usually paid by their homeowners or renters insurance. The two can run side by side.
Why does that matter? Because the owner claim stands on its own, and it can seek medical bills, future care, lost wages, pain and suffering, and compensation for disfigurement. For someone whose hands, arms or face are how they earn a living, it’s worth looking at carefully. A dog bite lawyer in Utopia can help you see how the two paths fit together.
Who Gets Bitten at Work Around Here
Mail carriers and delivery drivers
Walking up to a door on Utopia Parkway or a side street off Union Turnpike, you have no idea what’s on the other side. A screen door that doesn’t latch. A dog that slips out when someone answers. A yard gate left open. You’re doing exactly what you were sent to do, and it still goes wrong.
Home health aides and caregivers
You may visit the same home every week. You might even know the dog. Then one day it snaps while you’re helping your client out of a chair. Being familiar with a dog doesn’t mean you gave up your rights.
Contractors and repair workers
Painters, roofers, HVAC techs and handymen spend hours on someone’s property. The owner may promise the dog is “locked in the back.” Sometimes it isn’t.
Others on the move
Landscapers, dog walkers, canvassers, and the many workers on the streets near St. John’s University all cross paths with dogs they don’t know. The same principles apply.
What the Law Asks About the Owner
New York doesn’t make an owner automatically responsible for every bite. Generally, you have to show the owner knew, or should have known, that their dog had “vicious propensities.” The state’s highest court set out this rule in Collier v. Zambito (2004).
Workers are often in a good spot to help prove that. Think about it: maybe this dog has barked and lunged at you on every visit. Maybe your route partner warned you about it. Maybe there’s a “Beware of Dog” sign on the fence, or the dog is usually chained or muzzled. Maybe it bit another delivery person before. Growling, snapping, and jumping on people all count. Tell your lawyer everything you remember, even small moments.
If a dog has been officially declared dangerous, the owner is strictly liable for the medical costs its attacks cause under Agriculture & Markets Law § 123.
And if the dog belonged to a business or was kept as a guard dog on a property you were servicing, that business or property owner can be responsible too. The same goes for a landlord who knew about the dog and had the power to remove it.
Where to Find Us
You’ll find our office at 1 Cross Island Plaza, Suite 325, Rosedale, NY 11422. The map below maps out the trip from Utopia. If you’re laid up or can’t take time off, we can come to your home, meet you in the hospital, or talk over video.
After the Bite: A Worker’s To-Do List
- Get care. Punctures and tears can get infected, and bites can hurt nerves and tendons. Fractures happen when a dog knocks you off a step.
- Tell your employer. Report the injury the way your job requires so workers’ comp gets started.
- Get the owner’s details. Name, address, and whether the dog’s rabies shots are current. If that can’t be confirmed, you may need rabies shots.
- Report it to the city. NYC requires animal bites to be reported within 24 hours through the Health Department’s bite report page.
- Take pictures. Your wound, your torn uniform, the doorway or yard. Keep photographing as it heals.
- Collect names. Coworkers, neighbors, your client, anyone who saw it.
- Hold off on recorded statements. If the owner’s insurer calls, you can politely wait until you’ve spoken with a lawyer.
A Few Things Workers Often Worry About
“Will this get my customer in trouble?” Most claims are paid by the owner’s homeowners or renters insurance. You aren’t taking money from someone’s kitchen table. Our post on who pays after a dog attack in Queens explains how that works.
“Was it my fault for opening the gate?” New York uses pure comparative fault. If you share some blame, your compensation is reduced by that share. You don’t lose it altogether. Keep in mind that city rules expect owners to control their dogs, including a leash of six feet or less in public, as the responsible dog owner guide lays out.
“Can my car insurance help?” No-fault car insurance doesn’t apply to dog bites, even if you were bitten stepping out of your delivery van.
“How long do I have?” Generally three years to file a lawsuit against the owner, under CPLR § 214. If city property or public housing is involved, a notice of claim is usually due within 90 days. Your employer will have its own reporting steps, so don’t sit on those either.
“What about the scar?” Scarring on your hands, arms or face may need plastic surgery. A claim can include future care like scar revision. And the fear of walking up to the next house is real too. Emotional effects are part of the harm.
We’re Here When You’re Ready
Yakov Mushiyev & Associates has recovered over $80 million for injured New Yorkers. Your first conversation costs nothing, and there’s no fee unless we win. We speak English, Russian and Spanish. If you want a Utopia dog bite lawyer to look at both sides of your case, the comp claim and the owner claim, just call 718.775.3110. You can also send us a few lines on the contact page after your shift.
To learn more, visit our dog bite practice area, our Utopia injury lawyer page, or the article on New York’s dog bite laws.
Many workers cover routes that stretch well past Utopia. If your bite happened a few neighborhoods over, take a look at our pages for a dog bite lawyer in Fresh Meadows, a dog bite lawyer in Auburndale, and a dog bite lawyer in Kew Gardens Hills.
Attorney Advertising. We share this information to help working people understand their options after a dog bite. It is general in nature and is not legal advice about your case.