Facebook-f Instagram Tiktok Youtube Google
866-592-4837

Available 24/7

Level 4 Dog Bite Settlement Amounts

Start Free Case Review

How a Dog Bite Settlement Is Calculated

Medical billsER, surgery, rabies shots, follow-up care
+
Lost wagesMissed work & lost earning capacity
+
Pain & sufferingPhysical pain, emotional trauma
+
ScarringPermanent scars, disfigurement
Total case valueWhat your dog bite claim is worth — driven by injury severity, scarring, medical bills, lost wages, and your state’s law.
Estimate yours →

A Level 4 dog bite is a serious injury: on the Dunbar dog bite scale, it means one or more deep punctures (deeper than half the length of the dog’s canine tooth), often with deep bruising or lacerations from the dog holding on or shaking. These are the cases that most often involve surgery, nerve damage, and permanent scarring — and the largest settlements.

What is a Level 4 dog bite worth?

Examples of Level 4 cases our firm has resolved range from about $151,000 to $505,000, depending on the injury.

  • $505,000 — facial bite from a rescue pit bull with nerve damage and plastic surgery
  • $295,000 — 3-year-old bitten by a retired police K-9 (German Shepherd)
  • $275,000 — pit bull attack on an elderly client with eye damage
  • $167,000 — deep bite to the shoulder and arm with a rotator-cuff tear
  • $151,000 — deep puncture wounds requiring surgical repair

Every case is different. What raises the value most is not the bite “level” itself but the lasting harm: scarring and disfigurement, surgery, nerve or joint damage, the victim’s age, lost wages, and how strong your state’s dog-bite law is.

These are real results our firm has obtained; they are examples, not a guarantee — past results do not guarantee a future outcome, and every case turns on its own facts.

Where this sits: the dog bite severity scale

Doctors and courts often describe bite severity using Dr. Ian Dunbar’s six-level scale. Here’s how the levels compare:

The Dunbar Dog Bite Scale

A clinical scale (Dr. Ian Dunbar) grading a bite by wound severity. It measures injury, not dollar value.
1
Level 1 — No skin contactObnoxious or aggressive behavior but no skin-contact by teeth.
2
Level 2 — Skin contact, no punctureSkin-contact by teeth but no skin-puncture; may be slight nicks and bleeding from teeth moving against skin.
3
Level 3 — Shallow puncturesOne to four punctures from a single bite, none deeper than half the length of the dog’s canine teeth.
4
Level 4 — Deep puncturesOne to four punctures from a single bite with at least one deeper than half a canine tooth; deep bruising or lacerations from the dog holding on or shaking.
5
Level 5 — Multiple deep bitesA multiple-bite incident with at least two Level 4 bites, or a multiple-attack incident — severe, often permanent injury.
6
Level 6 — FatalVictim died — a wrongful-death claim.
Source: Dr. Ian Dunbar, Dog Bite Scale (official authorized version), Association of Professional Dog Trainers.

Levels 1 and 2 rarely lead to a lawsuit; Levels 3–5 are where most claims fall, and Level 6 is a fatal attack (wrongful death).

Compare dog bite settlements by injury level

Case values rise with severity. See how other injury levels compare:

Level 3 settlements · Level 5 settlements · minor bite settlements. Your state’s law also affects value — see dog bite settlement amounts by state, or get an instant estimate with our dog bite settlement calculator.

What affects how much your dog bite case is worth

  1. Severity of your injuries. Puncture wounds, broken bones, nerve damage, and infections all raise a claim’s value.
  2. Scarring and disfigurement. Permanent or visible scars — especially on the face — significantly increase compensation.
  3. Medical bills and future care. Surgeries, reconstructive procedures, and ongoing treatment are all recoverable.
  4. Lost wages. Time missed from work, and any lasting impact on your ability to earn.
  5. Emotional trauma. Anxiety, PTSD, and fear of dogs are real injuries the law recognizes.
  6. Insurance coverage. Most dog bite claims are paid by the owner’s homeowner’s or renter’s insurance. If the owner has no insurance, recovering money becomes much harder.
  7. Your state’s dog bite law. “Strict liability” states (like Illinois) make it far easier to recover than “one-bite” states.

Two cases that sound similar can settle for very different amounts. The biggest factors are:

How to find out what your dog bite case is worth

Try our Dog Bite Settlement Calculator for an instant ballpark based on your injuries.

Talk to us directly. A free case review gives you a far more accurate picture than any calculator — because we’ll look at the specifics insurance companies care about.

You don’t have to guess. There are two easy ways to get a real estimate:

Bitten by a dog? Find out what your case is worth.

Our team is available 24/7. Contact us via call, email, text, or chat.

Level 4 Dog Bite Settlement FAQs

A Level 4 bite (Dunbar scale) has one or more punctures deeper than half the length of the dog’s canine tooth, often with deep bruising or lacerations from the dog holding on or shaking. It usually means surgery, nerve damage, or permanent scarring.

There is no fixed average — value depends on the injury, medical bills, scarring, lost wages, and your state’s law. As a guide, Level 4 cases our firm has resolved have ranged from about $151,000 to $505,000.

Doctors and courts often reference Dr. Ian Dunbar’s Dog Bite Scale, which grades a bite from Level 1 (no skin contact) to Level 6 (fatal) based on wound severity. Level 4 and 5 bites are the most serious survivable injuries.

Generally yes. Deeper punctures, surgery, nerve damage, and permanent scarring all raise a claim’s value, so Level 4 cases typically settle for more than Level 3 — but every case turns on its own facts.

For a serious bite, almost always. Insurers offer far less to unrepresented victims, and Level 4 injuries often involve future surgery and scarring that are easy to undervalue. Our consultation is free and you pay nothing unless we win.