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Level 5 Dog Bite Settlement Amounts

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How a Dog Bite Settlement Is Calculated

Medical billsER, surgery, rabies shots, follow-up care
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Lost wagesMissed work & lost earning capacity
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Pain & sufferingPhysical pain, emotional trauma
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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.
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A Level 5 dog bite is the most severe survivable injury on the Dunbar dog bite scale: a multiple-bite incident with at least two Level 4 bites, or a multiple-attack incident — in plain terms, a mauling. These cases involve extensive surgery, disfigurement, nerve damage, and lasting trauma, and they command the highest settlements.

What is a Level 5 dog bite worth?

Because Level 5 attacks cause catastrophic, permanent injury, they are valued case-by-case on the full scope of surgery, scarring, disability, and lost income.

Level 5 maulings are, thankfully, rarer than single-bite cases. The closest example from our own results is a $505,000 facial attack by a pit bull involving nerve damage and plastic surgery — a case at the top of Level 4, bordering Level 5 severity. A true Level 5 mauling, with multiple deep bites, typically carries even greater value.

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 4 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.

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Level 5 Dog Bite Settlement FAQs

A Level 5 bite (Dunbar scale) is a multiple-bite incident with at least two Level 4 bites, or a multiple-attack incident — a mauling. It is the most severe survivable injury on the scale (Level 6 is fatal).

There’s no fixed figure — these catastrophic cases are valued individually on surgeries, permanent disfigurement, nerve damage, disability, and lost income, and are typically the highest-value dog bite claims.

By Dr. Ian Dunbar’s Dog Bite Scale, from Level 1 (no skin contact) to Level 6 (fatal). Level 5 is a multiple-bite mauling — the most serious injury a victim can survive.

That depends on your state and local dangerous-dog laws, not the settlement. A Level 5 attack often triggers a dangerous-dog determination, but the rules vary by jurisdiction.

Yes. Catastrophic-injury claims involve future medical care and life-care planning that are easy to undervalue. Our consultation is free and you pay nothing unless we win.