Oklahoma jumps 4 slots, from No. 31 to 27
May (17, 2012) - Each year, almost five million people are bitten or attacked by dogs. Dog bites are a serious public health problem that can cause both physical and emotional damage to victims and considerable cost to communities.
| State | Number of claims | Claims paid (estimated) |
| 1. California | 527 | $20.3 million |
| 2. Illinois | 309 | $10.0 million |
| 3. Texas | 219 | $5.1 million |
| 4. Ohio | 215 | $5.4 million |
| 5. Pennsylvania | 197 | $4.9 million |
| 6. Michigan | 181 | $7.0 million |
| 7. Florida | 157 | $5.1 million |
| 8. Indiana | 139 | $3.5 million |
| 9. New York | 133 | $6.1 million |
| 10. Minnesota | 117 | $3.5 million |
| 11. Georgia | 110 | $2.3 million |
| 12. Missouri | 94 | $1.8 million |
| 13. Arizona | 82 | $2.8 million |
| 14. Tennessee | 78 | $1.0 million |
| 15. Iowa | 70 | $1.4 million |
| 27. Oklahoma | 45 | $1.5 million |
State Farm® nationally paid more than $109 million as a result of the nearly 3,800 dog bite claims in 2011. The Insurance Information Institute (III) estimates that in 2011, insurers across the country paid nearly $479 million in dog bite claims.
Last year, State Farm paid out more than one-and-a-half million dollars in Oklahoma for dog bite claims. “As schools get out and the weather warms, more children will come into contact with dogs,” said company spokesman Jim Camoriano. “We strongly encourage parents to teach their kids how to behave when they are around animals. Children make up more than 50 percent of all dog bite victims.”
A dog's tendency to bite depends on such factors as heredity, obedience training, socialization, health, and the victim's behavior. There are good dogs and bad dogs within every breed, just as there can be responsible and irresponsible owners of each breed. State Farm does not refuse insurance based on the breed of dog a customer owns in any U.S. state.
Jim Camoriano, State Farm Insurance Media Relations Specialist, (573) 499-2452
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts - more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 43 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.
