When Dogs Bite, Home Insurers Pay Average $32,000

May 15, 2015

Max, Bella and their canine comrades cause more than one-third of all home insurance claims, adding $530 million a year to insurance costs.

And while the number of claims is down, the cost of the average claim from dog bites and other injuries is on the rise, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) and State Farm, the nation’ largest writer of homeowners insurance.

I.I.I.’s analysis of homeowners insurance data found that the number of dog bite claims nationwide decreased 4.7 percent in 2014. However, the average cost per dog bite claim was up 15 percent to $32,072 in 2014, compared with $27,862 in 2013.

The average cost per claim nationally has risen more than 67 percent from 2003 to 2014, due to increased medical costs as well as the size of settlements, judgments and jury awards given to plaintiffs, which are still on the upswing, according to Loretta Worters, vice president with the I.I.I.

California continues to have the largest number of claims in the U.S. at 1,867. Ohio had the second highest number of claims at 1,009. While New York had only the third highest number of claims at 965, it registered the highest average cost per claim in the country: a whopping $56,628.

The trend in higher costs per claim is attributable not simply to dog bites but also to dogs knocking down children, cyclists and senior citizens —all of which I.I.I. says can result in fractures and other injuries that increase the severity of the losses.

Experts say that even normally docile dogs may bite when they are frightened or when defending their puppies, owners or food. The most dangerous dogs are those that suffer from poor training, irresponsible owners and breeding practices that foster viciousness.

“All dogs have the potential to bite, but for most, biting is a last resort,” said Victoria Stilwell, star of Animal Planet’s TV series, It’s Me or the Dog. “If time is taken to raise, teach and socialize a dog correctly, the likelihood of a bite incident occurring is extremely low. Confident dogs have less need to use aggressive behavior.”

Victims and homeowners insurers are not the only ones paying for dog bites. Workers’ compensation for the United States Postal Service (USPS) costs about $3.7 billion a year.
Dog bites are the most common cause of injury for walking postal workers, according to the USPS.

National Dog Bite Prevention Week (May 17-23, 2015) is designed to provide consumers with information on how to be responsible pet owners while increasing awareness of dog bites as a serious public health issue.

Top 10 States for Dog Bite Claims

ESTIMATED NUMBER AND COST OF DOG BITE CLAIMS (AND OTHER DOG-RELATED INJURIES) 2014 STATE RESULTS

State # of claims Avg cost per claim Value of claims ($ millions)
CA 1,867 $33,649 $62.8
OH 1,009 $21,983 $22.2
NY 910 $56,628 $51.5
IL 872 $34,894 $30.4
PA 861 $26,211 $22.6
MI 693 $38,302 $26.5
TX 621 $16,205 $10.1
IN 481 $21,287 $10.2
GA 388 $31,497 $12.2
WI 388 $26,873 $10.4
State # of claims Avg cost per claim Value of claims ($ millions)
Top 10 8,090 $32,018 $259.0
Other States 8,460 $32,124 $271.8
U.S. 16,550 $32,072 $530.8

Source: Insurance Information Institute, State Farm.

Dog Bite Claim Costs

ESTIMATED NUMBER AND COST OF DOG BITE CLAIMS (AND OTHER DOG-RELATED INJURIES) 2003-2014

Year Value of claims ($ millions) # of claims Avg cost per claim
2003 $324.2 16,919 $19,162
2004 $318.9 15,630 $20,406
2005 $321.1 14,295 $22,464
2006 $322.4 14,661 $21,987
2007 $356.2 14,531 $24,511
2008 $387.0 15,823 $24,461
2009 $412.0 16,586 $24,840
2010 $412.6 15,770 $26,166
2011 $490.8 16,695 $29,396
2012 $489.7 16,459 $29,752
2013 $483.7 17,359 $27,862
2014 $530.8 16,550 $32,072
Year Value of claims ($ millions) # of claims Avg cost per claim
% change, 2013-2014 9.7% -4.7% 15.1%
% change, 2003-2014 63.7% -2.2% 67.4%

Source: Insurance Information Institute, State Farm.

Related:

Topics Carriers Claims Homeowners

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Latest Comments

  • November 7, 2017 at 11:42 am
    Nicholas says:
    And.... why is that?
  • February 21, 2017 at 3:27 am
    Brian says:
    I was bitten twice by an unvaccinated Pitbull that even had a history. I'm pretty sure it was trying to kill me. It sucked really bad but I'm looking file a claim with the i... read more
  • August 12, 2015 at 9:25 pm
    MrInsBrokerSF says:
    Some responses on this subject are highly emotional due to either the level of pain caused by the injuries and deaths caused, and the love of the breeds responsible. When dogs... read more

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