What To Do As A Dog Bite Victim?
California is one of the most dog bite-prone states in the United States. One of the biggest problems with these types of injuries is that dog bite victims are left without compensation. Many adults and children are forced to bear the brunt of medical bills alone after being attacked by a dog. If you’re reading this article, chances are you or someone you know has been injured in a dog attack. All Californian residents should be aware of their rights when bitten by a dog, so this article will provide a detailed explanation of California dog bite law.
What Should I Do After A Dog Attack?
Suffering a dog bite can be a traumatic experience. Dog owners can prevent dog attacks taking proper precautions and putting their pets through training. However, accidents can happen, and it’s important that you know what to do after dog bites.
Once you or a loved one has been bitten by a dog, it’s important to take the following steps:
- Wash the wound if possible, or take a shower.
- Do not disturb the wound. Do not apply ice, heat, creams or bandages to an open wound.
- Save the dog’s leash and collar, so they can be tested later if necessary for disease. Keep these items in a plastic bag until you see a doctor.
- Seek emergency medical attention. The doctor will remove any foreign bodies present, measure the wound and take pictures. It may be necessary to have an X-ray done.
- Be prepared to see a plastic or general surgeon if the injury is serious enough.
- Once you see your doctor, don’t forget to notify your local Animal Control agency of the incident. If no one has seen the dog, take a picture of it.
- Contact a dog bite attorney. An experienced lawyer at JSM Injury Firm can advise you on what to do next and help you obtain compensation for your medical bills, as well as any other damages that may be applicable in your case.
How Soon Should I Take Action?
The sooner, the better. If you wait too long, dog bite claims may be denied due to a “statute of limitations” in California. In other words, if you fail to report a dog attack within a set period after the attack, your claim might not be valid. This is why it is important to seek emergency medical treatment, even if your injury seems minimal. If you are experiencing any pain, discomfort, or other symptoms even days after the attack, then it is best to seek medical attention regardless of whether they seem significant.
After being attacked by a dog in California, you may be entitled to compensation for medical costs, lost wages from time out of work, and pain and suffering. If you’ve been attacked, find out if you have a case by speaking with a qualified personal injury attorney.
If you want to know how to handle things without the help of an attorney, then continue reading below for information about California dog bite laws.
What Does California’s “Strict Liability” Dog Bite Law Mean For A Dog Owner?
California does not follow the “one bite rule.” This rule means if the dog has never shown signs of aggression before and causes harm to someone, the dog owner may only be held liable if they knew their pet had a tendency to cause harm and failed to take action.
Instead of the “one bite rule,” in California, the state has a strict liability dog bite law. This means the dog owner is liable for injuries caused by their dog, regardless of whether they knew it had a tendency to cause harm. Under this rule, if a dog bites or otherwise harms you, you can receive compensation for your injuries.
Some other aspects of strict liability in California:
- If the dog has ever bitten or attacked someone before, even if it was not the owner’s fault, they are still liable.
- This rule applies to all domesticated dogs, whether they are restrained on a leash at the time of attack or running free.
- Strict liability also applies to non-bite injuries caused by a dog, such as knocking someone over or causing other damage.
What If I Am Partially At Fault For The Attack?
If the dog owner proves you were partly to blame for the injury, they may reduce the amount of money they pay out. If you provoked a dog and it bit or attacked you, then your dog bite claim will not be valid. For example, if a child runs up to a pit bull and startles it, the dog will likely lash out and injure that child. The dog owner would not be liable in this instance because they were not at fault. If a dog bites someone in California who provoked it, the liability falls on the person who initiated the contact.
Do Domestic Animals Count?
In general, yes. You can receive compensation for injuries caused by domestic animals, such as cats, birds, rabbits, ferrets, chickens, pigs, cows and horses. Dogs are not the only animals in California that can cause serious injuries. You are entitled to compensation regardless of whether a dog bite caused your serious injury or another type of domestic animal.
What Kind Of Compensation Can I Get?
You can receive compensation for your medical costs, including property damage and incidental costs, such as prescriptions and lost wages. You may also get more money if the dog attack led to permanent injuries or disfigurement.
You may also be entitled to compensation for pain and suffering you experienced. Pain and suffering is the mental and physical damage you suffer from an attack. You may also be entitled to damages for emotional distress if you witness the dog injuring others.
A dog bite injury lawyer is a professional who helps people injured by someone else’s negligence. An experienced attorney can help you pursue compensation for your medical treatment, pain and suffering, and any loss or damage that you may have suffered due to the bite. A successful lawsuit will seek damages for the following:
1. Medical costs, including emergency room care and ongoing treatment, surgery, home care (if applicable), etc.
2. Costs of filing the lawsuit, such as medical records, X-rays, photos, etc.
3. Pain and suffering damages
4. Permanent impairment or disfigurement
5. Associated out-of-pocket expenses, such as property damage repair etc. (if applicable), lost wages, replacement services due to injury etc.
Who Can I Sue To Receive Compensation?
If a dog attacked you in California, the dog owner may be held responsible for your damages and dog related injuries. The owner is usually easy to determine, but there are circumstances in which you might not know who owns the animal.
For example, if a dog bite occurs while you’re running through an open field, there is no way to know who the dog belonged to. If you are unsure whether to sue someone for your dog bite injuries in California and need help deciding on a course of action, contact us today so we can give you some free advice and maybe even work on your case for you.
Dog Bites Can Cause Serious Injury.
Dog bites can cause serious injuries. In fact, it is estimated that 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year, and about a third of those injuries require medical attention. You may be entitled to compensation for your damages from the dog’s owner if you were attacked in California.
Dog bite fatalities are rare, but they can and do occur. When a dog attack turns fatal, it is often the result of children being attacked.
If you or someone you know has been bitten by a dog, call us today for free legal advice on how to seek compensation for your damages. We provide free legal advice because we want to make our community safer. Considering the severe injuries that dog bites can cause, we want to help dog owners be more responsible for their pets.
Is The Dog Owner Responsible For My Injuries?
In general, yes. If their dog attacked you or bit you in California, they may be liable for your damages. They would need to prove the attack was your fault. If they cannot do this, they are responsible for any injuries sustained during the dog bite incident.
What About My Mental Suffering?
There is no set amount of time for recovering from psychological trauma from a dog attack. A person can usually recover within a few months or even years, but it all depends on the severity of their injury and how long the symptoms last.
If a dog ever injures you in California, the owner is liable for your physical and mental damages. Contact us today to see if we can help you recover compensation from the negligent party.
How Long Do I Have To File A Dog Bite Claim?
In California, if a dog bites you in an attack, you have two years from the incident to seek damages from the owner of that animal. This time limit is commonly referred to as the statute of limitations. If you don’t file your claim within that time, they can choose not to pay for any injuries resulting from their dog’s actions. This is why it is important to act quickly. Failure to do so can lead to you not being compensated for your dog bite injuries.
What About My Medical Expenses?
If you suffered a dog bite wound or any animal bites, you have a personal injury claim. A dog bite victim can receive compensation for medical expenses from the owner of the dog responsible for the bite. When an animal attacks someone, their owner is usually liable for whatever damage they caused others. This means there could be compensation for lost wages, pain and suffering, and medical bills, among other things.
In California, there is a law that makes the owner of the animal liable for these damages if their dog attacks someone or another animal without provocation. If you or your pet have been bitten by a dog in California, our experienced dog bite attorneys will discuss all your legal options for seeking compensation. You may still have time to file a claim against the dog’s owner if they are responsible for your damages. Call us today to learn more about how you can recover compensation from a negligent party in California.
What Should I Do If I’ve Been Bit?
If a dog attacked you in California and sustained injuries from the incident, contact us today for a free consultation with one of our knowledgeable dog bite lawyers. We’ll review your case and let you know whether the owner of the animal is responsible for your damages.
Our experienced personal injury attorneys are here to help you recover compensation from any negligent parties in California responsible for your injuries. Call us today for a free case review.
We can help determine what kind of damages you may receive if their dog attacked you in California. We’ll let you know who is liable and how much money they will need to pay for all your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Then we’ll handle all parts of civil litigation on your behalf, so you don’t have to stress anything else regarding the dog bite incident.
What If I Was Attacked While Doing My Job?
If you were attacked while on the job, you likely have a workers’ compensation claim that can help cover some of your medical expenses and lost wages. However, there may also be damages available through civil litigation against the dog’s owner.
Our personal injury attorneys can point you to resources to figure out what compensation is typically offered through workers’ comp claims in California. We will also let you know whether there might be money available from third-party lawsuits involving owners whose dogs bit someone without. We’ll do all the work for you to determine the best way to recover compensation for your dog bite injuries.
Our experienced personal injury attorneys are here to help you get the money you deserve after being bit by a dog in CA. Call us today to learn more!
If Their Dog Has Bitten Someone Before, Can I Still File A dog Bite Lawsuit?
If the owner of the animal has been cited by the city or county for this incident, they may be liable because it demonstrates their negligence in some way. However, people can still file lawsuits even if they don’t have such proof, as long as there is evidence that a dog bit you, and even if there is no prior history of dog bites.
How Do I Get Compensation For Lost Wages And Other Damages?
The owner of the animal may be liable for any damages you sustained due to the dog bite, including lost wages and medical bills. Each situation is unique, so it’s important to let knowledgeable dog bite lawyers in California review your case for a free case evaluation, to determine what you might be entitled to in terms of compensation.
If you’re ready to learn more about how we can help you after being attacked by a dog in CA, call us today at 949-404-4826! We offer completely free case evaluations, and there are no fees unless we get money for you.
How Much Does A Personal Injury Lawyer Cost?
Typically, our dog bite lawyers will only get paid if they win the case. If you are unsuccessful in winning your case for whatever reason, you won’t owe us anything – which is why we offer a free consultation.
We realize that money can be tight, so it’s important to note that there are never any up-front fees or costs to start your case, and we don’t get paid anything unless you win. You’ll never have to pay us a dime in legal fees or costs unless we get money for you.
Our goal at the JSM Injury Firm APC is to help our clients in California recover as much compensation as possible in a timely manner. We understand how difficult it can be to deal with the aftermath of an attack like this (especially if your injuries prevent you from working), so our team is here to help people get back on their feet as much as possible.
We have helped countless clients in California receive the compensation they deserve, because we want dog attacks to stop happening.
Should I Communicate With The Dog Owner’s Insurance Company?
Absolutely not. We know that when you’ve been attacked by a dog, one of the last things you want to do is talk to the insurance company for the person whose dog bit you – but it’s important that you don’t say anything to them without consulting your personal injury lawyer first.
This is crucial, because any comment or statement you make to the insurance company, no matter how innocent it might seem, can be used against you later on down the road. Even unintentionally saying something that conflicts with something else could cause problems for your case.
So remember – never talk to the insurance company without consulting your dog bite lawyer first.
Do I Call Animal Control After A Dog Bite?
We recommend you file a report with your local animal control department as soon as possible after a dog attack. This documentation will be important later on, because it can help show negligence if there was already proof that the owner’s dog had previously bitten someone. Animal control officers are trained to handle dog bite cases, so they know exactly what steps to take.
The more documentation you have of what happened, the better your chances of winning your case. Therefore, it’s important that you file a report with animal control if possible.
It’s also crucial to file reports with your local police department and/or sheriff’s office, so it’s important to get documentation of the dog bite case.
How Do I Find A Dog Bite Lawyer Near Me?
If you have been bit by a dog in the California area, there are many dog bite lawyers to choose from. It is important that you carefully research each one, so you can find the best fit for your unique case! There are several ways to do this:
1) You can also contact us immediately at JSM Injury Firm APC. We do not charge you for an free case evaluation, so you can learn more about whether we would be a good fit without any obligation.
2) The Lawyer Referral Service of California has a great page where you can search for a dog bite attorney near you, or any other type of personal injury lawyer. When you submit your information there and pay the fee to use this service, they will connect you with up to three local attorneys who handle these cases.
3) Many personal injury attorneys offer a free consultation, so it is important to inquire about this with the lawyer of your choice to see what they say. If you go to our California dog bite lawyer page, you can find a list of all the attorneys in our office and our reviews from people we’ve helped.
4) Read online reviews about different personal injury attorneys if you wish. These can be found on their websites and third-party review sites like Google and Yelp.
5) If you know someone who has had to hire a personal injury lawyer before, ask them how they found their dog bite attorney, and if they would recommend them to you.
The best way to find the right legal representation is to do your research, so you can file your dog bite lawsuit with confidence, knowing that it is in good hands.
Here at JSM Injury Firm APC, we take pride in helping our clients recover the compensation they deserve for what they’ve been through. We know that you will receive the compensation you need if you bring your case to us, which is why we offer a free consultation. If you would like to discuss your California dog bite claim, please contact us today.
We’re here for you every step of the way! If you have been bit by a dog in California and would like to file a personal injury lawsuit, contact us anytime by clicking here to fill out our free consultation form, or calling 949-404-4826. We’re here to help you get the justice you deserve. One of our skilled lawyers from JSM Injury Firm APC will get back to you immediately, so do not hesitate to pick up the phone and dial!
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