California Tops List of States for Dog Bite Claims
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Photodisc/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — State Farm Insurance says it received 3,670 dog bite claims in 2012, a slight decrease from the number of claims in 2011.
State Farm says it paid out more than $108 million in 2012 as a result dog bite claims.
California led all states in the number of claims the insurance company received.
Here are the top 10 states for State Farm dog bite claims in 2012:
- California
- Illinois
- Texas
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Michigan
- Indiana
- Florida
- Georgia
- New York
The Insurance Information Institute estimates that insurers across the country paid nearly $489 million in dog bite claims in 2012.
The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates there were approximately 70 million dogs in the U.S. at the end of 2011, down from approximately 72 million in 2006, but the number of dog bite incidents hasn’t decreased.
The American Academy of Pediatrics states that more than half of all dog bite victims are children. The academy says approximately 400,000 kids receive medical attention for dog bites every year.
The United States Postal Service reports 5,879 postal carriers were bitten or attacked by dogs in 2012. That is an increase of 274 dog bite incidents compared to 2011.
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