Getting Bit............Twice
The last time I got bit by a dog was about 5 years ago. I had a residential stop, it was a fenced yard and I knew the people had two dogs. I secured the truck and as I exited, I whistled and yelled UPS. Opening the gate, I listened for any sounds of the dogs and hearing none, I started for the front porch. I could see that the front door was open and just the full length glass storm door was closed. As I got up on the porch I could see people inside so I waved and put the package down.
The dogs started barking inside the house and I beelined it back towards the gate. But when the first dog hit the stormdoor, the door popped open and out he came. It was an overweight Black Lab and he was barking furiously. The door slammed shut but didn't latch and out came the German Shepherd right behind him. I knew they would reach me before I got to the gate so I yelled at the homeowners who were stlll nowhere in sight.
I turned to face the approaching dogs and held my DIAD as a shield in front of my legs. The Lab ran right up to me, still barking wildly. He had his nose right up against my leg, thank God the DIAD was between us. But the Shepherd circled around behind me. I yelled again for help. I couldn't protect both my front and back at the same time. As I tried to walk backwards towards the street, the German Shepherd grabbed me right above the ankle.
He pulled me as he bit and I lost my balance and fell on my right side. I remember the thought flashing through my mind, "Roll, don't just lay there or they'll eat you alive!". So I rolled and got back on my feet as fast as I could. I guess the dogs must have backed off as soon as I hit the ground and the home owners came out on the front porch. My DIAD was on the driveway and I must have looked like a crazed madman, shocked and injured, too scared to run and too excited to stand still.
The owners came up the drive and the dogs retreated. "Did he bite you?", the wife asked. We all looked at my leg at the same time. I was already bleeding from the punctures. My leg felt like it was on fire. We went back up on the porch and they put the dogs inside. "Did Sugar bite you?", the lady asked again. I think I showed a lot of composure when I simply answered "Yes" and collapsed into a chair. I wanted to kill someone. Or something.
The folks bandaged me up and I told them I was OK, even though I wasn't so sure. I messaged in that I had been bit and got the message back, "Can you finish your route?". Foolishly I replied that I thought I could. That night my wife made me go to the emergency room. Thank goodness she did because not only did I need antibiotics for the dog bite but it turned out I had broken a bone in my hand when I fell down. I was off for over 7 weeks and eventually retained a lawyer and sued the homeowners for lost wages abouve what Workers Comp would pay. We were asking for $5000. The lawyer said his cut would be a 30% of the settlement.
About a week later, the lawyer called and said that Workers Comp had called him and asked if they could just join our lawsuit to recover their costs from the homeowner's insurance too. They were asking for $2000. I said sure. Why not?
We won $7000 and the lawyer took this 30% then gave Workers Comp their $2000. I was expecting $3500, or 70% of $5000. He gave me a check for $2900.
I must have sounded like that dog coming through the screen door. I was furious. He tried to explain it this way. His fee was 30% of the settlement. That's what our contract said. Workers Comp had not contracted with him for fees he said and he had in fact asked me if I wanted to do them a favor by letting them sign on and I had said yes. I didn't know the favor would cost me $600. The settlement was $7000. His fee was 30%. They were entitled to $2000. That left $2900 for me.
Now I was ready to bite. My wife was with me and we started circling, just like those dogs had done before they bit me. He started to look a little panicked, I'm sure much like I had looked on those peoples' driveway. We were snarling out things like "unfair" and "misleading"" and the "Lawyers' Board of Ethics". He called for help by offering to split the difference. We only barked louder. Just as I lunged at his flesh, he conceded and forked over the rest of my money. If he hadn't, I think I would have bit him.
Here is another good story about a UPS driver who had a close encounter with a dog and now is on the verge of getting bit by the legal system. People don't realize how dangerous this delivery job is. Trial March 25 for UPS driver.
The dogs started barking inside the house and I beelined it back towards the gate. But when the first dog hit the stormdoor, the door popped open and out he came. It was an overweight Black Lab and he was barking furiously. The door slammed shut but didn't latch and out came the German Shepherd right behind him. I knew they would reach me before I got to the gate so I yelled at the homeowners who were stlll nowhere in sight.
I turned to face the approaching dogs and held my DIAD as a shield in front of my legs. The Lab ran right up to me, still barking wildly. He had his nose right up against my leg, thank God the DIAD was between us. But the Shepherd circled around behind me. I yelled again for help. I couldn't protect both my front and back at the same time. As I tried to walk backwards towards the street, the German Shepherd grabbed me right above the ankle.
He pulled me as he bit and I lost my balance and fell on my right side. I remember the thought flashing through my mind, "Roll, don't just lay there or they'll eat you alive!". So I rolled and got back on my feet as fast as I could. I guess the dogs must have backed off as soon as I hit the ground and the home owners came out on the front porch. My DIAD was on the driveway and I must have looked like a crazed madman, shocked and injured, too scared to run and too excited to stand still.
The owners came up the drive and the dogs retreated. "Did he bite you?", the wife asked. We all looked at my leg at the same time. I was already bleeding from the punctures. My leg felt like it was on fire. We went back up on the porch and they put the dogs inside. "Did Sugar bite you?", the lady asked again. I think I showed a lot of composure when I simply answered "Yes" and collapsed into a chair. I wanted to kill someone. Or something.
The folks bandaged me up and I told them I was OK, even though I wasn't so sure. I messaged in that I had been bit and got the message back, "Can you finish your route?". Foolishly I replied that I thought I could. That night my wife made me go to the emergency room. Thank goodness she did because not only did I need antibiotics for the dog bite but it turned out I had broken a bone in my hand when I fell down. I was off for over 7 weeks and eventually retained a lawyer and sued the homeowners for lost wages abouve what Workers Comp would pay. We were asking for $5000. The lawyer said his cut would be a 30% of the settlement.
About a week later, the lawyer called and said that Workers Comp had called him and asked if they could just join our lawsuit to recover their costs from the homeowner's insurance too. They were asking for $2000. I said sure. Why not?
We won $7000 and the lawyer took this 30% then gave Workers Comp their $2000. I was expecting $3500, or 70% of $5000. He gave me a check for $2900.
I must have sounded like that dog coming through the screen door. I was furious. He tried to explain it this way. His fee was 30% of the settlement. That's what our contract said. Workers Comp had not contracted with him for fees he said and he had in fact asked me if I wanted to do them a favor by letting them sign on and I had said yes. I didn't know the favor would cost me $600. The settlement was $7000. His fee was 30%. They were entitled to $2000. That left $2900 for me.
Now I was ready to bite. My wife was with me and we started circling, just like those dogs had done before they bit me. He started to look a little panicked, I'm sure much like I had looked on those peoples' driveway. We were snarling out things like "unfair" and "misleading"" and the "Lawyers' Board of Ethics". He called for help by offering to split the difference. We only barked louder. Just as I lunged at his flesh, he conceded and forked over the rest of my money. If he hadn't, I think I would have bit him.
Here is another good story about a UPS driver who had a close encounter with a dog and now is on the verge of getting bit by the legal system. People don't realize how dangerous this delivery job is. Trial March 25 for UPS driver.
When I worked in Golden, up in Genesee, I had some very scary moments with dogs. I usually avoided being bit by some creative escapes involving whatever was available. Many people, especially dog owners/lovers do not understand how scary it can be to get terrorized by their lovable 150 pound fido. I dealt with some very dysfunctional situations involving these dog people. The bottom line for most of them is that they love their dog more than any human, especially a UPS driver.
The one time I got bit up there was by a little pint sized Pug. How humiliating! I had entered the foyer to place a heavy kitchen appliance there, asked by the homeowner to place it there. She had the Pug on a rope, but she let the slack out a bit too far and the dog hit my right hand. Blood came right out and got all over the floor. She got mad and said, "You are bleeding all over my floor"! No apology, no mention of offering a band aid, nothing. Just a slammed door behind me as I nursed my own wound. I went to the fire station and used their first aid kit to clean it and bandage it up, and it never amounted to any loss of work time.
Later on that same season the dog came at me as I was delivering across the street. The Diad came in handy that day, and saved my ankle! Ah justice is such a sweet thing. Even steven! (details left to the reader's imagination)
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