In Montana, a child dog-bite case with facial scarring often lands in the mid-five figures, and more serious permanent-injury cases can reach six figures. So no, a recorded statement does not automatically ruin your case.

If the statement was mostly basic facts - when it happened, where in Billings, whose dog it was - the damage may be limited. The bigger issue is preserving proof now: photos of the wound at every stage, ER and plastic-surgery records, and the dog's history. In Billings, a bite should also be reported to Billings Animal Control and often ends up involving RiverStone Health for bite follow-up and rabies quarantine issues.

If you guessed about details, apologized, or said your child is "fine," that can hurt, but it is still fixable. Insurers use recorded calls to lock parents into early statements before swelling, infection, scarring, or trauma symptoms are fully known. A later correction backed by records is usually stronger than a panicked holiday-weekend phone call made right after an attack.

If the insurer is acting like only the dog owner matters, that is another common myth. In some cases, there may be additional coverage through homeowners or renters insurance. If the bite happened at a rental property or there were prior complaints, the facts about who knew the dog was dangerous can matter a lot. Montana does not treat every dog-bite claim the same way, so the exact location and prior history are important.

Two deadlines matter. Montana's general injury filing deadline is usually 3 years, but waiting is still risky because video gets erased and witnesses disappear fast - especially after Memorial Day, July 4th, or Labor Day gatherings. On roads near Billings, holiday traffic, slow farm equipment, and even wildfire smoke can make witness tracking harder the longer you wait.