The First 24 Hours After Your Child is Bitten by a Dog – A Guide for New Jersey Parents

Key Takeaways: The First 24 Hours After a Child Dog Bite

Seeing your child injured is every parent’s worst nightmare. When that injury comes from a sudden and violent dog attack, the shock can be paralyzing. Unfortunately, children are disproportionately vulnerable to dog bites due to their size and natural curiosity. In New Jersey, emergency rooms and urgent care centers frequently treat pediatric dog bite victims, ranging from toddlers in suburban backyards to older children playing in local parks.

The first 24 hours following your child’s dog attack are critical. The decisions you make during this window will dictate the quality of their medical recovery and preserve your ability to secure the financial compensation necessary for their future care.

Under New Jersey’s strict liability laws, parents have significant power to hold dog owners accountable, but only if the proper steps are taken immediately. This guide outlines exactly what New Jersey parents must do from the moment their child is bitten by a dog.

1. Secure Your Child and Assess the Immediate Threat 

Your primary instinct is to comfort your child, but your first action must be to ensure the attack is over. If the dog is still loose, aggressive, or nearby, you must prioritize moving your child to a safe, enclosed environment, whether that is your car, your home, or behind a fence.

Once you are in a safe location, perform a rapid assessment of the injuries. Adrenaline often masks pain, and a child may be crying from fear rather than the specific site of the wound.

• Check for severe bleeding: Apply direct pressure with a clean cloth.
• Look for multiple wounds: Dogs often bite and release quickly, sometimes striking multiple areas. Check arms, legs, face, and neck thoroughly.
• Keep the child calm: Panicked movement can increase blood flow or exacerbate tissue damage.

If the injuries are severe, such as deep lacerations, tears to the face or neck, or uncontrolled bleeding, call 911 immediately. Do not attempt to drive to the hospital yourself if stabilizing the child requires professional EMS intervention.

2. Seek Professional Medical Attention Immediately 

Even if a bite looks like a “minor” puncture or scrape, you must seek professional medical care within the first few hours.

Home remedies are insufficient for animal bites due to the high risk of bacterial infection. Dog mouths carry bacteria that can cause serious complications, such as Pasteurella or staph infections, if not properly irrigated and treated with antibiotics.

For New Jersey parents, taking your child to a doctor or the emergency room serves two vital functions:

• Health Safety: Medical professionals will clean the wound deeper than you can at home. They will also review your child’s vaccination history to determine if a tetanus booster is required and assess the risk of rabies, which is fatal if untreated.
• Evidence Building: The medical report generated during this first visit is the foundation of any future legal claim. It links the injury directly to the time and date of the dog attack. Insurance companies often try to argue that injuries were pre-existing or caused by something else if there is a delay in seeking treatment.

3. Identify the Dog and the Owner 

While you are managing your child’s care, you (or a trusted family member or witness) need to identify the dog. If the owner is present, get their name, address, and phone number. Ask for their homeowner’s insurance information right then and there. Do not wait for them to send it later.

If the dog is a stray or the owner has fled the scene, try to get a photo of the dog or write down a detailed description (breed, color, size, and collar details).

This is crucial for Animal Control to locate the animal later. If the dog cannot be located and its vaccination status confirmed, your child may be forced to undergo a painful series of rabies prophylaxis shots as a precaution.

4. Report the Incident to New Jersey Authorities

In the chaos of the first day, many parents forget to file an official dog bite report. You must contact the local police department or the municipal Animal Control officer in the town where the bite occurred.

Why report it? In New Jersey, a reported dog bite triggers an investigation. The authorities will order a quarantine of the dog (usually 10 days) to watch for signs of rabies.

The police report or Animal Control report is an unbiased, official government document that states a bite occurred. This prevents the dog owner from later claiming the incident never happened or that your child was injured playing elsewhere.

5. Document the Injuries and the Scene 

Before bandages cover the wounds, and before the healing process begins, take high-resolution photographs of your child’s injuries.

• Show All Angles: Take close-ups of the puncture wounds and lacerations, as well as wide shots showing the location of the injury on the child’s body.
• Keep Clothing: Do not throw away bloody or torn clothing. Photograph the shirt or pants your child was wearing, as this demonstrates the violence of the attack.
• Photograph the Scene: If possible, go back to the location of the attack and take photos of the area. Was the gate open? Was the dog unchained? Visual evidence of the environment helps establish context.

6. Explore New Jersey’s Strict Liability Law 

Many parents worry that they cannot sue if they don’t know the dog’s history. A question victims and their families often ask is, “What if the dog has never bitten anyone before?”

New Jersey is a strict liability state under the Dog Bite Statute N.J.S.A. § 4:19-16. This means the dog owner is liable for all damages caused by the bite, regardless of the dog’s past behavior.

Unlike some states that protect owners the first time their dog bites, New Jersey holds the owner responsible immediately.

As long as your child was not trespassing (or was in a public place), the owner is liable. Even in cases of trespassing, special considerations often apply to young children who may not understand property boundaries.

7. Do Not Sign Paperwork from Insurance Adjusters 

Within the first 24 to 48 hours, the dog owner’s homeowner’s insurance company may contact you. They may sound sympathetic and offer to pay the medical bills quickly.

Do not sign a release or give a recorded statement.

Insurance adjusters are trained to minimize payouts. They know that facial scarring on a child, future plastic surgery needs, and psychological trauma (PTSD) are expensive claims. They may try to get you to settle for the cost of the emergency room visit before the full extent of the physical and emotional damage is known.

Monitor Your Child’s Emotional State 

The physical wounds are visible immediately, but the psychological wounds take time to surface. In the first 24 hours, watch for signs of acute stress:

• Night terrors or inability to sleep.
• Refusal to go outside or near pets they previously loved.
• Uncontrollable crying or withdrawal.
• Bedwetting in toilet-trained children.

Document these behaviors in a journal. New Jersey law allows for compensation for pain, suffering, and emotional distress. A parent’s detailed notes on the immediate behavioral changes can be powerful evidence.

9. Contact a New Jersey Dog Bite Lawyer 

Because children are still growing, the full impact of a dog bite, such as how a scar will stretch as they grow or if nerve damage will affect their development, cannot be fully known in 24 hours. However, securing legal representation immediately ensures that evidence is preserved and your rights are protected against aggressive insurance tactics.

Your Child Deserves the Best Lawyer for Child Cases in New Jersey 

When your child’s future is on the line, you need an attorney who understands the complexities of pediatric dog bite cases.

David Cowhey is a New Jersey dog bite lawyer with a proven track record of securing six-figure settlements for families across the state. He understands that a settlement must cover not just today’s bills, but future plastic surgery and therapy. In fact, his proactive analysis and forthright negotiations with insurance adjusters recently helped David Cowhey and his team win a $1 million settlement for a child bitten by a dog in Cape May County, NJ. 

Don’t face the insurance companies alone. Schedule a free consultation with David Cowhey today. He is available 24/7 to help your family win fair compensation from your dog bite claim.

Frequently Asked Questions: Child Dog Bite Incidents in NJ

What if the dog belongs to a friend, neighbor, or family member? 

Many parents hesitate to file a claim because they don’t want to sue a friend. However, it is important to remember that you are not suing your friend personally or taking their money; you are pursuing a claim against their homeowner’s insurance policy. That is exactly why people pay for insurance: to cover accidents that happen on their property.

My child climbed a fence to pet the dog. Does that count as trespassing? 

New Jersey law does have a trespassing exception, but it is applied differently to children. The “attractive nuisance” doctrine or similar legal concepts may apply, acknowledging that children do not have the same judgment as adults regarding boundaries. Never assume you have no case because your child walked onto a neighbor’s lawn. Consult with a lawyer to review the facts.

How long do I have to file a dog bite claim for my child? 

While the standard statute of limitations for personal injury in New Jersey is two years, the timeline is different for minors. Generally, the two-year “clock” does not begin ticking until the child turns 18. However, waiting years to investigate a claim is a mistake. Evidence disappears, witnesses move, and memories fade. It is best to start the legal process immediately while the evidence is fresh.

Will my child need plastic surgery? 

It is often difficult to tell in the first 24 hours. Emergency room doctors focus on closing the wound to prevent infection and stop bleeding, not necessarily on aesthetics. A specialized attorney will often recommend that your child be evaluated by a plastic surgeon after the initial healing to determine if scar revision surgery will be needed in the future.

Can we get compensation for my child’s fear of dogs? 

Potentially. Psychological trauma has lasting consequences in dog bite cases. If your child requires therapy, counseling, or develops a phobia that impacts their quality of life, these non-economic damages can be included in your settlement demand.

What if the dog owner is a renter and doesn’t have insurance? 

This complicates the case, but there may still be options. Sometimes the landlord can be held liable if they knew a dangerous dog was on the premises and failed to act. Alternatively, the dog owner might have renters’ insurance that includes liability coverage. A lawyer can run an asset check and insurance search to find available coverage.

Should I share photos of the bite on social media? 

No. It is best to keep details of the incident off Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. Insurance adjusters monitor these platforms. If you post a photo of your child smiling a week later, they may use it to argue that the child is “fine” and not suffering emotionally. Keep your evidence private and share it only with your attorney.