Regardless of whether you are visiting a family member or taking a walk in the park, getting bit by a dog can be an unpleasant experience for all. Beyond being in pain, it can cause you to lose out on work, school and more. It affects every aspect of your life. Thankfully, you are entitled to receive a number of different benefits on your case. To ensure you receive the maximum settlement possible, avoid making one of these costly mistakes in your personal injury claim.

Not getting medical help right away.

By making sure you get in to a healthcare professional right away, you can get your medical needs taken care of and everything documented fully. If you ignore the injuries and wait to get treatment, there is a good chance that the insurance company is going to fight you on paying for your claim. Medical documentation to back up your injuries can go a long way in your personal injury case.

Not getting the address and names of the dog owner and any potential witnesses to the case.

As soon as the incident occurs, you need to get the information from the individuals. Trying to track the dog owner and potential witnesses down later on is going to be near impossible. Since people are moving around a lot, it can be difficult to try and find someone a few months after the incident, especially when you don't have names and addresses.

Not taking photos of the bite right away.

When dealing with any type of personal injury claim, you need to take pictures of the injuries right away. This proves just how severe the bite wound was and prevents the other party from trying to claim it wasn't that bad.

Not using a lawyer to negotiate your settlement.

All too often, the insurance company will try to get you to accept a quick settlement before ever getting the chance to speak with an attorney. In doing so, you will end up shorting yourself on how much your claim is worth. It also means you cannot go after them for more money down the road. They also have you sign away all of your rights to an injury claim before you even realize the severity of your injuries.

Whatever you do, make sure you have a trained lawyer working on your side to ensure you don't make one of these costly mistakes in your injury claim. Contact a company like Campbell Law Group PLLC for assistance.