Received Thursday, June 26, 2008 - Perspective & Opinion
Ok guys I know this isn't quite where it's supposed to be but I need some advice now and I believe I read that jane is out of town so then she wouldn't be able to post my delimia in time.The family I nanny for had 3 year old Labrador so I'm guessing he's full grown. Yesterday while I was playing outside with the kids the dog went ape over the water hose and landed on my bare foot. All of his weight went right over the spot where I have a pin in my foot due to surgery last year. It swelled up immediately and it's bruised pretty bad. It doesn't hurt to walk as long as I wear flip flops and not shoes but my doctor of course wants me to come in so he can look at it and take x-rays. This happened yesterday and I haven't told the parents yet what happened because I don't know how and I'm going to want them to pay the bills. I have health insurance but I still have deductibles and co-pays and I'm looking at a few hundred bucks in medical bills because of this.Any ideas on how I can bring it up?
They are responsible. But since it will only be a couple of hundred bucks at most, they may not want to use their homeowners insurance, the deductible could be as high as $1000.00
ReplyDeleteI would just approach them, show them your foot, tell them how you got hurt, and if they don't already know about your surgery from last year ... now would be a good time to tell them.
Explain that your Dr. wants you checked out, and you want to know if they wouldn't mind paying for it.
Tell them you have insurance, so they don't get scared and think it'll cost a fortune. Also, from personal experience, let them know you're alright to work.
One time I was injured, I told the homeowners I wanted them to pay. They actually put it through their insurance because the injury was so serious (I fell through a rotted out 2-story deck).... anyway, they feared more that I wouldn't be able to work.
I messed my knee up really bad, but I was a trooper and came back 2 days later. They didn't even care about the money they had to spend.
Weird priorities some people have, huh? lol
I agree with the above poster. Since at the moment you only need x-rays, show your injury to your bosses and explain to them ASAP what happened. Call them right now if you're not over there. Hopefully they will do the right thing and pay for your medical expenses--it's only the right thing to do.
ReplyDeleteOne time, my fellow nanny friend had one of her charges (a then 4 year old) throw a KITCHEN CHAIR at her (these kids are Satan's spawn, according to her) and the mom, whom I've met and is crazy, took her right to the Minor Med for X-rays. Mostly because I think she was scared my friend would sue them, but still--even crazy employers will probably pay for injuries on the job! lol. Good luck and feel better!
You're an ass. You should have called and told them the second it happened and the second they came home showed them your foot.
ReplyDeleteIf they believe you after two days going by...lucky you. If not, its your bad.
1:43
ReplyDeleteWhat the hell would prompt you in calling the OP an ass? Just because she hadn't figured out a way to approach her employers about it?
Maybe her employer is like gestapo, and she didn't know how to confront them? Maybe she knew they would chew her out over something that wasn't her fault, so she came here for advice?
We don't know the whole story about why it's taken 2 days because OP hasn't elaborated on it, so I think calling her an ass is just mean and uncalled for.
..... oh, and I hope your foot feels better soon OP, sorry.
ReplyDeleteyou say, "yesterday while i ________, your dog ________ . my doctor whould like to check it out. Will you please help me with the bill?"
ReplyDeleteyou really should of had brought this up then but, since we can't go back in time...
ReplyDeleteTell/call them. Say their dog injured your foot and you were hoping the swelling would have receded by now.
Tell them you need time off to go see a dr and that there might be co-pays for them to pay.
Ack-- honey, waiting a few days isn't the best idea ever. In the future, should something like this happen again, tell your bosses immediately so they won't be suspicious of any sort of fraud.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't pay for your bills. You know that sounds kinda dumb. If one of their kids hit you in the face would you charge them? It comes with the job. I work around horses. If one steps on me because I am not looking out I am not going to make the owner pay for my foot. This doesn't make sense to me. It was an accident. If I were the employer I would not pay you especially since you have health insurance. It is bad karma fix it yourself and don't worry about it.
ReplyDeleteI worked with a family a while back that I was injured several times by rhe oldest child. Only 3 years old but as big and physical strong as a 5 or 6 year old. Was a battle everyday.
ReplyDeleteIn the 3 months I was there, the oldest child hurt me physical. Throwing toys (3 times in the face- breaking 3 pairs of glasses), breaking 2 of my fingers slamming the door on them. The worse injury- was his biting me. I had just had surgery 9 months before (still recovering) and this child bit so hard that the scar broke.
I did not leave because of this child, (I found out the child was getting abused by dad), I left because of mom and dad. I would come in and try time outs- mom will pull him out. Dad would scream, yell and hit. And mom always said it was my fault and called me a B**** the day I was bit. She actually saw him bit me and did nothing despite I was in tears and shock.
I was in tears every night when I came home. I feel like I left to save myself. I found out later that this family went though 9 nannies in a year's time.
Don't let these parents take advantage of you. Leave if you feel you have to.
Hopefully they'll just offer to pay w/o you having to ask. When I punctured my hand on rusty metal while nannying I had to get a tetanus shot. Not thinking that my boss would pay for it, but she paid my copay and for the time I needed to go to the dr's. Hopefully you have thoughtful bosses!
ReplyDeleteSorry about your foot!
OP here, wow I'm not an ass what a sorry response that was.
ReplyDeleteI'm a shy person, and I didn't know how to approach them so that's why I asked you guys how to handle it.
The people are nice and will probably pay for the bills but I don't know how to tell them, they are really sweet people and I know they will believe me. They do know about the surgery and actually sent me a card afterwards.
Why shouldn't they pay? I'm not being rude but a DOG is NOT part of the job description the KIDS ARE. I'm not a DOG NANNY. I take care of the kids, the dog was not part of the deal when I was hired.
This dog has eaten my shoes, scratched the crap out of me on more than one occasion and bit me and the kids and scratched them too. The dog eats all the toys and shoes and anything else left down on the floor. The dog is also pretty hyper and they never trained it not to jump on people, sit, stay, not to run away and etc.
Thanks guys for all the good advice. They are out of town so I'm going to tell them when I go back to work, I don't want to send a text message while they are on vacation.
BTW we are talking about at most 250 bucks so it's not asking too much of them. I could make them pay the entire amount because if I tell my insurance company what happened they will refuse to pay.......
Also if this wasn't a 70+ pound dog and I hadn't had surgery and a pin in my foot I wouldn't be worried about it but since I do there is a big chance the dog could have done some major damage to my foot that will require surgery.
Wow OP, I have to say that if the dog has bitten you AND the kids, that is a MAJOR problem, and if he/she bites anyone else, will probably end up being euthanized. A dog that bites more than once is something to be VERY concerned about, and IMO, the parents are endangering their children by keeping the dog. There was just a cse here where a toddler was mauled to death by the family dog, and the parents were arrested. It turned out the dog had bitten the child before and the parents downplayed it to the police.
ReplyDeleteAnd 6:41, to say that you work with horses but if one stepped on your neck and left you a paraplegic, you'd be asking for bad karma by expecting your employer to pay your deductible or copays for your medical attention just sounds like you're a sucker.
Sheesh.. I cant' imagine taking care of kids AND a rowdy dog all day. I can handle children feces, urine and vomit all day long. The second I see dog poop I'm gagging and trying not to puke in the corner. I swear like a sailor if I find it on my shoe. I am NOT a dog lover that's for sure. But to each their own. I have MANY friends who couldn't live without their dogs and that's cool too.
ReplyDeleteOP
I'm all for you letting your employers know about the dog busting up your foot. I'm glad you decided to tell them.
OP, if you had an awareness of the nature of this dog (and from your follow up posting, you clearly did) why did you put yourself in the situation of being outside with no shoes on while the rowdy dog was playing near the hose? i'd say use some common sense next time. if your employer is actually responsible for your injuries, they should pay, but i don't see how they were negligent in this case.
ReplyDeletethe dog should be put down if it's biting people though. good grief!
lindalou
ReplyDeleteWe were playing in the water outside and I was wearing flip flops. The dog jumped up and landed with all his weight on the top of my barefoot.
The dog stays outside during the day, there isn't much I can do about that because that's what the parents want. If we want to play in the back yard we have to deal with the dog. I'm not going to forbid the kids from playing outside in the sprinkler because the dog is out there.
I do have common sense but you need to work on your attitude problem.
OP
ReplyDeleteTell us how you got the original injury to your foot?
Just curious. Hope it feels better soon.
1:23.
ReplyDeleteI had bunion surgery on both feet, the doc had to cut a pie shaped piece of bone out of my toe and shave off part of the bone, he put the pin in to stabilize the bones as they healed.
I have no ill feelings towards my boss, I know it wasn't their fault per say but just like any other line of work when you get hurt on the job your employer pays for it. I also don't expect them to pay anything other than actual expenses, I'm not a sue happy person but this wasn't my fault and I shouldn't be responsible for the bills.
They know how their dog is and the mom has made several comments about how rowdy the dog is and that they need to have it trained.
I think just asking for them to pay your Dr. bill, and not asking for anything else is fine. I cannot imagine they would give you a hard time.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was hurt on the job, they were worried about that. I told them I just wanted the ER bill paid, and they were cool about it.
Would you believe my next paycheck had an extra $250.00 in it? And at a time I really needed it.
My Employer said it was because if it were anybody else -- they would've taken advantage of the situation!
I didn't, and I guess they wanted to show their appreciation for it.
How cool was that?
What you should do while they are away is look up some numbers of dog trainers. Get prices, etc. Mention that you are not comfortable working their with such a rowdy dog.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, if they have to pay for your injury etc they will think of getting someone in to train the dog.
Please, if I hurt myself on the job, you bet I would sue. If they own a home they have to have homeowners insurance.
ReplyDeletei have an attitude problem because i don't see you as an innocent victim? pfffffffffft.
ReplyDeletei was a liability adjuster and then legal analyst at a property and casualty insurance company before i decided to stay home with my children. the family is only legally liable for your injury if it was caused by some sort of negligence on their part. the parents my choose to pay for your medical expenses, however, if the matter was turned over to their insurance, the company might very well decline to pay since you put yourself in a position you knew was hazardous.
lindalou I'm supposed to know their dog was going to step on my foot in the spot where I had a pin?
ReplyDeleteAnd yes they ARE responsible for what their dog does. If their dog had bitten me and I had gone to the doctor THEY would have to pay, how is it any different.
Because of your comment to me I retaliated and told you to work on your attitude. YOUR comment was out of line.
OP
ReplyDeleteChill, it's ok. Lindalou means well, her bark is worse than her bite, lol. Try not to be annoyed.
I hope you're doing better -- please let us know what happens, ok? :)
Good luck.
The people clearly ARE negligent because their dog has an established pattern of biting. And they have expressed regularly their observations on how badly behaved and unpredictable the dog is. Yet they keep the dog and require their nanny to work with the dog. No question about it.
ReplyDeleteOP, you're being ridiculous. you posted in a public place asking for opinions and you got the opinion of liability insurance professional. i'm sorry you don't like the answer, but just disagreeing with you doesn't make me have any sort of attitude problem. you're the one whose reaction is out of line. i'll continue to post on matters in which i have some level of expertise, and if you don't like it, tough. when you knowingly expose yourself to injury you've got no one to blame but yourself.
ReplyDeleteLindaLou, what would be your proposed solution? Should the nanny demand that the family board their dog off-site while they are out of town? Or tie it up on a short leash for days at a time, risking getting bitten in order to do so? Or tell the family that she will not go within 20 feet at any time during her course of employment with them? Just curious what your proposed solution to someone in her situation would be. Tell her that she should have refused to accept a position with a family that had a dog? Because at some point the dog might injure them?
ReplyDeleteMeant to say within 20 feet of the dog.
ReplyDeleteGive me a break! The parents want the dog outside. They already know the dog needs a trainer. Its not the nanny's fault the family doesn't want to take responsibility for their dog.
ReplyDeleteShe got hurt and they have to pay.
Lindalou
ReplyDeleteDo you think you could cut the nanny some slack? You're being a bit harsh here.
I usually side with you because you're one of the more passionate posters, but here, I think she just needs some advice, not a beat down.
OP
I really hope things work out for you.
calimom,i adore animals, but i think the humane thing is to have a biting dog put down. if the dog had bitten her, that would be a different situation. the situation the nanny actually described could happen with any large dog. if you know something is a hazard, you don't knowingly put yourself in a position where it's obvious you could get hurt. since the OP knew the nature of the dog and knew she was predisposed to foot problems, imo, she should have also known to put proper shoes on. i'm looking at this through the eyes of a seasoned liability adjuster, the same sort of person who is going to be calling and asking the OP questions if the matter is turned over to the employer's liability insurance. if the OP thinks i have a bad attitude, wait until she meets the person assigned to investigate of behalf of the employer's insurance company. i'm just telling it like it is.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lindalou. Before the nanny explained how the accident happened, I was siding with the nanny. However, after finding out that she knew the dog was out of control, and she also knew that she had foot problems to begin with, I too wonder why she wouldnt at least wear tennis shoes? That said, if it were a "normal" job, it would be usually be covered by workmens comp, depending on the state, as it happened at work. Next time, OP, if you know you have had a past injury, perhaps you should take better care in trying to prevent future accidents!
ReplyDeleteWhy don't some of you people get that they were playing in the sprinklers? Who in their right mind wears shoes? I know I can barely stand the feel of soggy shoes when it rains out .... much less doing it on purpose in a backyard.
ReplyDeleteThis is NOT the nannies fault.
Under any law that I know of -- the owner must ALWAYS have their pet under control.
Under normal circumstances, of course not. But I think Swiss Nanny was just trying to point out that if the nanny knew that she had an injury before and had surgery, then she knew that she was at risk to be hurt again. Common sense should have been used.
ReplyDeleteI'm not going to wear tennis shoes outside in the sprinkler, that's NOT using common sense. I'm also not going to forbid the kids from playing outside because of the dog either.
ReplyDeleteIf I was asking for thousands of dollars that would be one thing. I was asking for them to pay the bills AFTER insurance which I thought would be around 250 bucks. I'm not asking for pain and suffering nor time off, I just needed some advice on how to approach the parents.
I did talk to the mom, she apologized profusely and gave me a 500 dollar visa gift card and told me to use that to pay the bills. I went to the doctor today and everything is fine, no broken bones, the pin hasn't shifted and the bones are in the correct place.
The total for the visit came up to be 165.86 bucks.
Thanks for the ones that gave me good advice.
And lindalou I don't think they will file with their home owners insurance for 165 bucks.......
Lindalou has some very valid points.
ReplyDeleteThe nanny should have chained to dog up if she were going to play with the kids outside. She was well aware of the fact that the dog bites. So why would you not tie or chain the nasty beast up?
Nothing like kids runing and yelling and playing in water to get a dog riled up. A riled up dog could bite the kids or you. Precautions need to be taken with an animal like that.
Also I would think with a previous condition that I would be wearing foot wear that covered the spot where the pin is at especailly with a dog that likes water runing amok.
It is ot your place to have to train or take care of the dog, but it is your place to make sure the kids do not get bitten when taking them out where the dog is at and not placing a chain on it.
OP, i'm glad you're okay. please be careful in the future for your own sake. i am diabetic and i often have to wear shoes in situations where the average person would go barefoot or wear only flip flops.
ReplyDelete3:53 How do you propose that I tie the dog up? There is no place and the dog is to hyper for me to get a leash on him to tie him up in the first place.
ReplyDeleteThe scar goes from the foot right below the big toe to half way down my foot on both feet. The only way to cover it is to wear tennis shoes which I wont if we are playing in the water.....
I am glad your okay O.P. Don't listen to these idiots on here.
ReplyDeleteGood for you, OP! Please tell me you get to keep the change, lol.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update, you've been a stellar poster .... keeping in contact, and then updating us with your end result.
Hope your feeling better now.
:)
Jimminy Christmas,,I have never seen so much crap in my life. I am a nanny. My employer has a dog that is big and hyper and has already bitten both kids as well as myself. hhmm.lets go out side and run around and jump and play in the water with this big,hyper dog that bites!! Cause thats the responsible thing do do !!
ReplyDeleteOP..you have the common sense of a garden hose!
Jimminy Christmas is a saying that should NEVER die! What a fantastic phrase. I'd forgot about it.
ReplyDeleteOP I'm glad you were able to get this resolved in the end. Good for you! Life is unpredictable. Could of, would of, should of. It all doesn't really mater in the end. What maters is you've worked something out with your employer and hopefully lessons were learned all around.
It's really nice of you to ask for your employer to take care of charges "after" insurance, but let's hope your insurance company doesn't want to know the particulars of the accident. You know how some forms ask if you were hurt as "hurt as the result of an accident on the job".
ReplyDeleteSince you "settled" with your employer, your insurance company might want you to pay them back for any payments they've made toward your treatment. It's called "subrogation". You were hurt on your employers property and they were liable for your injuries as well as your medical bills. If you're hurt on someone's property or in their home; they're liable for your medical bills. Homeowner's have to carry a minimum of $5,000 medical liability insurance - most carry a lot more.
Your employers might not know they're legally required to carry worker's comp for you since you watch their children on a regular basis. The only thing that would exempt you is if you were a teenager.
Is the Lab biting because it's still puppy-ish? Hopefully they're not serious bites? We have a Lab; I know how ramunctioous they can be, but nipping, biting dogs can be a big liability. (As is a trampoline - if they happen to have one. A lot of people don't know most insurance companies won't cover them.)
Maybe mention the biting - it's easier to "nip" in the bud now, rather than later. Maybe have the parents watch The Dog Whisperer on The National Geographic Channel.
Good luck!
From the website www.insurance.com :
Workers' compensation insurance for employees
If you have employees (such as a housekeeper, gardener, nanny, cook, etc.), your state may require that you carry workers' compensation insurance coverage for them. Even if you are not required by state law to carry workers' compensation insurance, it may be wise to do so anyway. If an employee is injured, and if you have hired the worker legally and paid for workers' compensation insurance, an injury claim would fall under that policy's coverage. Otherwise, the claim would fall on you. Your homeowners insurance policy is not likely to offer any coverage in this event. If you are hiring regular help who could be considered employees, make sure you consult your insurance agent and/or your state Workers' Compensation Agency about coverage.
Some policies specifically exclude domestic workers such as nannies or housekeepers, while others cover injuries of household employees only under the liability coverage section, so a lawsuit may be required before a claim is paid.
umbrella liability policy. This type of coverage supplements the liability coverage provided under your homeowners policy.