A report from carrier State Farm shows it paid $123 million dollars for 3,280 dog bite and injury claims, last year, a decrease of 9 percent compared with the number of dog bite claims in 2017 and a decrease of 7 percent in the amount paid.
California topped State Farm’s list in 2018 and in 2017. The total amount paid by the company in California totaled $18.6 million in 2018.
California (409 claims), Illinois (288), Ohio (177), Texas (168) and Pennsylvania (161) round out the top five states. The average cost of a dog bite claim in 2018 was $37,562.
Children age 5 to 9 are at the highest risk for dog-related injuries. The elderly and home service people like letter carriers, meter readers, and food delivery services also are high on the list of frequent dog bite victims, according to State Farm.
The report was released in timing with National Dog Bite Prevention Week this week.
This article was first published by Insurance Journal.
