Does Umbrella Insurance Cover Dog Bites?

According to a 2017-2018 survey completed by the American Pet Products Association, about 68% of American families (85 million) own a pet, with dogs making up about 60.2 million of the total. Further, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year. More than half of these dog bite injuries actually happen at home, by dogs that are familiar to us. Children suffering dog bites are primarily in the age range of 5-9 years old.

Insurance Protection        

If you have homeowner's or renter's insurance, chances are good that you, your family and visitors to your home are covered by your policy for damages and legal liability costs related to a dog bite. Even outside of your home, if your dog gets loose or is in your car with the window down and bites someone, it should be covered by your homeowner's or renter's policy.

More dog bite statistics from the Insurance Information Institute (III):

• Insurance companies paid out liability claims in excess of $686 million dollars for dog bites in 2017
• The number of dog bite claims sought in 2017 totaled 18,522, up 2.2% (18,123) from the previous year
• The average dog bite claim paid out in 2017 was $37,051. This was a 90% increase from 2003, due to increasing medical costs and the size of jury awards, settlements and judgments, which continue to trend upwards

Umbrella Insurance Coverage

Most homeowner's insurance policies have liability coverage limits of between $100,000 to $300,000, which is enough to adequately cover the average cost of a dog bite claim. There are, however, unique situations that can occur whereby a dog bite victim can suffer injuries that far eclipse the costs of a typical dog bite claim.

A serious dog attack, for example, could be so debilitating that it could cause a permanent, lifetime disability for the victim. Such a scenario could quickly use up your homeowner's insurance liability coverage limit. This would mean all additional costs beyond your limit would fall to you, which could mean total financial ruin. Unless, that is, you have an umbrella insurance policy in place.

Umbrella insurance works along with your basic insurance, both home and auto, and starts paying on liability claims as soon as your regular liability limits are met. This applies to any liability claim you may be facing, including dog bite claims.