In a smaller community, it’s common for incidents to occur at homes, around neighbors, or during everyday errands—places where people may not automatically think to gather evidence. That’s where settlements can swing.
Insurance adjusters will often look for:
- Medical proof: diagnosis, wound descriptions, follow-up visits, and whether care was needed beyond first aid
- Photo consistency: images taken soon after the incident (and ideally more than one time)
- Clear timeline: when the bite happened, when you sought care, and how symptoms changed during recovery
- Ownership/control details: who owned the dog, who had it in their custody, and where it was located when it attacked
A calculator can’t verify those items. A lawyer can.


