Most employees don’t have to fear being attacked on the job when they punch in for the day, but that’s not always true for postal workers. Postal workers and delivery drivers are attacked by dogs every single day in the United States, and oftentimes these bite injuries are quite severe. This month, the US Postal Service is conducting a National Dog Bite Awareness campaign, and we want to do our part to help injured postal workers get the compensation they deserve if they are attacked on their route. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at how postal workers can get compensation for dog bite injuries.
Postal Workers And Dog Bites
If you ask any postal worker, odds are they have a story or two about an unruly hound they encountered during the course of their route. And while many of these stories end without a debilitating bite, the fact of the matter is that more than 6,000 USPS workers suffered dog bite injuries in 2024 alone.
In fact, Minneapolis was the scene for a decent amount of those attacks. According to data from the United States Postal Service, Minneapolis ranked as the 15th most dangerous city in the nation in terms of dog attacks on postal workers. The statistics show that there were 30 dog bites or dog attacks in Minneapolis alone in 2024.
When it comes to dog bite injuries in Minneapolis, whether it be a workers’ compensation claim or a personal injury lawsuit, the law is pretty clear. A dog does not need to have a history of violent behavior in order for a lawsuit to be brought against the dog’s owner, and the intent of the dog owner doesn’t matter either. The only two factors that need to be proven are:
- You suffered compensable injuries as a result of a dog attack; and
- You were not antagonizing the dog at the time of the attack.
We use the word “antagonizing” in the above description because we believe it fits better than another word we commonly see here, which is “provoking.” You may “provoke” a dog by walking up to the front door or simply entering the property, but this action alone does not absolve the dog’s owner of any aggressive action taken by the dog. A denial of benefits for a dog bite injury would need to rise above simple provocation for a mail carrier, which is why we believe antagonizing is a better description. If you act aggressively towards a dog, you pull its tail or you do something like throw rocks at a dog and it attacks you, then you may not have recourse for compensation. But if you are simply performing your job and are attacked because the dog mistakenly believed you were a threat, you would have grounds for a dog bite injury claim.
Both dog owners and postal workers can work to reduce the likelihood of dog attacks, but even the most aware postal worker can be bitten by an unruly hound. In these situations, you need to have the wound addressed swiftly. Not only will this create an official documentation of the extent of your injuries, but it will also disinfect the area and greatly reduce your likelihood of an infection, which would only complicate matters further. Once your wound has been cared for by a medical professional, the next logical step is to connect with a workers’ compensation firm like the team at Hey Workers.
We’ve helped many postal workers and delivery personnel get the compensation they deserve following a dog attack. Not only can we help you get compensation for physical injuries, but we know how to calculate the costs of the mental and emotional trauma you’ve experienced as a result of the attack. It’s not just about getting you paid for medical expenses or lost wages, it’s about getting you every penny you deserve for the totality of the attack. Let us ensure you are fairly treated by a system that can be harsh to those who are unfamiliar with its inner workings. We’ll aggressively pursue compensation while you focus on your health and your family.
For more information on how we can help after your dog attack, or for answers to questions about a different workers’ compensation case, reach out to the team at Hey Workers today at (844) 439-9675.
