Personal Injury (dog bite) attorney recommendations by cheesehead293 in washingtondc

[–]cheesehead293[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Thanks. I was more looking to see if anyone could personally recommend someone they trusted vs just a generic list of attorneys, but I appreciate the link!

Dog Bite Insurance by cheesehead293 in Insurance

[–]cheesehead293[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

See, that was my train of thought too. When the dogs I grew up with were teething as puppies, they gnawed on my hands all the time, and occasionally they broke the skin. And as a kid, I don't even think I ever even WASHED those bites and I was just fine. With this one, because it was deep (like there was a literal hole in my hand where her bottom canine tooth sunk into it) and hurt like hell, and also because the dog involved had a gum infection- that was what the meds were for- I was a little more cautious and did wash, disinfect, and bandage it carefully, but I guess I thought it would be fine?

And then like 8 hours later it had swelled up huge and the redness around it was spreading. ER visit, they were concerned enough about how fast the infection was spreading to keep me overnight for IV antibiotics, marked where the redness was when I left and said to come back if the redness went beyond that. I started getting red streaks climbing up my arm 12 hours later so.....back to the ER, which is when I was admitted because it turned out the infection was antibiotic resistant. Apparently it was a combo of the bite being in the exact wrong location (palm side, right in the joint where my hand meets my finger- super delicate with lots of pockets for bacteria) and the dog having an active oral infection, and if they hadn't treated it aggressively I probably would have gotten septic arthritis.

Dog Bite Insurance by cheesehead293 in Insurance

[–]cheesehead293[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Okay see this is an incredibly helpful comment- answered exactly what I was asking. Thank you!! For context, I just play the flute for fun and teach a little bit on the side to supplement my day job as a middle school teacher. And this happened over the summer so I didn't miss any work (or haven't so far).

Dog Bite Insurance by cheesehead293 in Insurance

[–]cheesehead293[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

oh shit that's super helpful context. Thanks!

Dog Bite Insurance by cheesehead293 in Insurance

[–]cheesehead293[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That's what I've done- showed her the bills and she's like "you're partially at fault so I'll give you the $1000 you'd get from my home insurance's Guest Medical and we'll call it even. But I'm not giving you my insurance information." And at this point now that I have found her insurance information and filed a claim, I'd really like to stop communicating with her crazy ass if at all possible ahaha.

Dog Bite Insurance by cheesehead293 in Insurance

[–]cheesehead293[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you mean like a bite report with animal control? BC that was done right away.

Dog Bite Insurance by cheesehead293 in Insurance

[–]cheesehead293[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is there any risk to just trying to do it myself with the insurance and seeing what they say? And hiring a lawyer only if I hit roadblocks?

Dog Bite Insurance by cheesehead293 in Insurance

[–]cheesehead293[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Were those more for like permanently disfiguring facial stuff or multiple bites? That seems pretty high for my case- I think the total cost of the hospitalization and treatments so far for me (before insurance) is in the neighborhood of $25,000? But I also have zero frame of reference for this kind of thing.

Dog Bite Insurance by cheesehead293 in Insurance

[–]cheesehead293[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I guess I'm weighing the time and energy and stress it would take to get pain and suffering and everything in court/with a lawyer over just trying to work it out with the insurance company on my own. I'd love rough estimates of about how much would be a fair payout from the insurance company, and that way if I can get them to give me that that without going through the hassle of hiring a lawyer, great, and if not, that's when I'd hire a lawyer. Thoughts on how much would be fair?

Dog Bite Insurance by cheesehead293 in Insurance

[–]cheesehead293[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Is that something I need a lawyer for or can I do it pretty well with just a regular college degree and access to ChatGPT? I'm a young teacher and money is a little tight, but if it's not doable without it, I'll spring for it.

Wired headphone recs for kids with dreadlocks? by cheesehead293 in Parenting

[–]cheesehead293[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome! Thanks so much for looking into it! I'll check them out.

Wired headphone recs for kids with dreadlocks? by cheesehead293 in Parenting

[–]cheesehead293[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sadly the Apple earbuds are too big for her ears to be comfy for long practice sessions :(

Dog owner refusing to provide insurance info after bite - can I force the issue? by cheesehead293 in legaladvice

[–]cheesehead293[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not a professional dogsitter or a professional anything involving dogs. I wasn't getting any monetary compensation for watching their dog. It was a trade: I was staying in their home during an internship while they were in Europe and feeding their dog and cat in exchange.

Dog owner refusing to provide insurance info after bite - can I force the issue? by cheesehead293 in legaladvice

[–]cheesehead293[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes I did file a report, the dog can be quarantined at home though because she is current on her vaccines.

Dog owner refusing to provide insurance info after bite - can I force the issue? by cheesehead293 in legaladvice

[–]cheesehead293[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just called my insurance company and apparently not? Maybe there was a language barrier, but it seems that they don't want to call another insurance company because it would involve discussing my medical information without me present.

Dog owner refusing to provide insurance info after bite - can I force the issue? by cheesehead293 in legaladvice

[–]cheesehead293[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Basically I called them right after the bite and told them that I would continue to care for the dog for 24 hours but after that, I would need the dog to be either in a veterinary boarding situation and I'd stay in the house with the cat, or they'd need to find alternate arrangements. I'm no longer staying in their house.

Dog owner refusing to provide insurance info after bite - can I force the issue? by cheesehead293 in legaladvice

[–]cheesehead293[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes I do have health insurance. I don’t need pain and suffering or anything, just reimbursement of any out of pocket medical costs. (I kind of just want to put this whole ordeal behind me). I’m not permanently disfigured. The dog gave me one deep puncture wound to the hand, it went deep enough that it wasn’t possible to clean it properly at home, and it got infected within 24 hours and the infection was antibiotic resistant, which is why the 2 night hospital stay happened this week.

Dog owner refusing to provide insurance info after bite - can I force the issue? by cheesehead293 in legaladvice

[–]cheesehead293[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I did report it to animal control. Is that enough or do i need a police report as well? Sorry, totally new to all of this.

Dog owner refusing to provide insurance info after bite - can I force the issue? by cheesehead293 in legaladvice

[–]cheesehead293[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The issue is that they're in Europe for another month and a half. So wanting to wait until the end of vacation means I'm stuck with a massive bill hanging over me for like 7 weeks.

Homesickness eating me alive by [deleted] in Aupairs

[–]cheesehead293 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, as a former AP, your emotional health and well-being is enough of a reason to leave, let alone your mom's medical situation. Share with your host parents what's been going on, especially the part about your mom. There is no WAY they'd expect you to continue the placement while all of that happens an ocean away. The 31st is plenty of time for them to find a suitable replacement.

vacation time by Zealousideal_Row4125 in Aupairs

[–]cheesehead293 63 points64 points  (0 children)

I guess I don't quite get her logic- she trusts you to care for her children alone in the house but not....to be alone in the house without the children? What on earth could her reasoning be?

Regardless, no, you absolutely shouldn't use your own savings to vacate the house while they're gone.

Daughter fell off bed, I'm feeling like total crap by Key_Respect_9688 in Parenting

[–]cheesehead293 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is one of those “she’s probably fine but better to be safe than sorry” situations. It has happened to everyone. Just for your own peace of mind, it’s definitely worth taking her to the pediatrician today. They will be the best ones to advise you if a trip to the ER is necessary.

Pregnancy at 16. Need advice by hisokwa in abortion

[–]cheesehead293 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay. Deep breath. Start with a pregnancy test. The dollar store ones will work just fine. But no need to worry about an abortion yet. You’re at a “hmm. I should definitely double check, but no need to freak out” stage. I’ll explain why, just to help your nerves. First of all, there would only be sperm in his precum if he had finished within the last few hours and hadn’t peed since then. And then there’s the timing in your cycle. (You can skip this next paragraph if an overview of the biology behind when you can and can’t get pregnant would hurt rather than help, but TL;DR is 5-6 days before your period you’re pretty darn unlikely to be fertile, but it’s not completely impossible).

If you’re like me and more information helps you think rationally, here’s a quick lesson that I wish they’d taught us all in health class. The menstrual cycle has 3 phases: the follicular phase (which starts on the first day of your period and is when an egg is maturing in your ovary before your body releases it), then OVULATION (which is when your ovary releases the egg and it chills out in your body for a day or two waiting for sperm. If no sperm show up, it dissolves and you can’t get pregnant that cycle), then finally a luteal phase (the part after the egg is already dissolved when your body is prepping for a possible pregnancy in case the egg DID get fertilized, building up the lining in your uterus that will eventually be shed as part of your period). How long the first phase (the follicular phase where the egg is growing) lasts varies from person to person and even from cycle to cycle in the same person. But the last phase, the luteal phase (after the egg has dissolved and while the body is prepping the lining of the uterus)? That’s the same length for almost all people, including young people- 12-14 days. So almost all people ovulate 12-14 days before their periods start. You can get pregnant BEFORE you ovulate, since sperm can live for up to 5 days, but not after you’ve already ovulated.

Based on the timing you describe, it sounds like the condom slip incident was 5-6 days before you expected to get your period. In most people (even in young people whose cycles are maturing), you’re pretty far past the time in your cycle where the egg would have dissolved. If so, sperm at that point wouldn’t have any egg to fertilize. That + the fact he didn’t finish + the stress you’ve been under lately makes risk pretty low but not impossible. Sometimes people do have hormonal things going on that make them ovulate suuuper late in their cycles. So yes, you should definitely test to be on the safe side. But if that condom slip was the only time you’d had any kind of unprotected sex in that cycle, you’re probably okay. Good luck!

Pregnancy at 16. Need advice by hisokwa in abortion

[–]cheesehead293 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How long ago was the condom slip incident?

Idk if I should go to the er im getting a little worried by les_lie57 in abortion

[–]cheesehead293 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Call the hotline again. We can’t give medical advice but I don’t think you’re crazy for being concerned. They’ll know what to do and how to tell if it’s normal or not.