Folsom Dog Bite Lawyer

Dog bites can cause severe injuries and scarring. In some extreme cases, nerve damage from vicious dog attacks can last a lifetime. Emotional injuries and mental trauma are also not uncommon. Just as victims of robberies and assaults relive that horrific moment over and over again throughout their lives, dog bite victims often have painful and persistent flashbacks to their attacks.

Under California law, when someone is attacked and bitten by a dog, the law is generally on their side. This is because California adheres to a strict liability standard. This means that the dog owner is liable for any and all injuries resulting from an attack by their dog. This is a beneficial standard for an injured claimant since they do not carry the burden of establishing negligence, which is typically required in most personal injury cases.

Vicious dog attacks can be excruciating and result in large medical bills and other harms and losses. That is why it makes sense to hire an experienced personal injury lawyer who will file a claim on your behalf and seek compensation for the following harms and losses:

• Medical bills
• Lost wages
• Loss of earning capacity 
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress 

If you or a loved one has been bitten by a dog, below is a simple checklist of steps to take to protect your legal rights and preserve the viability of your injury claim:

• If your injury is serious, go to the hospital immediately. Dog bite injuries can be severe if not properly treated promptly. Bites are most commonly puncture wounds that can result in broken bones, lacerations, and scarring. Occasionally, dog bites can also transmit bacteria and disease. This is why prompt medical treatment is so important.
• Identify the owner of the dog that attacked you. Sometimes this is easy because the attack occurred on the owner’s property. Other times, however, the owner could be more difficult to identify. To file a lawsuit, you first need to know the identity of the dog owner.
• Report the incident to local animal control. This is important because it shows that you are a responsible citizen, and it helps animal control by alerting them that there is a dangerous dog that is harming people in the area.
• Obtain the name, address, and phone number of each and every eyewitness who saw the attack. Witnesses often have valuable information to support your injury claims. Additionally, the owner’s neighbors may have personal knowledge of their interactions with the vicious dog.
• Ask the dog owner about insurance coverage. In the majority of dog bite injury claims, the homeowner’s insurance policy or renter’s insurance policy of the dog owner will be the vehicle in which you can file a claim for financial recovery of your harms and losses.
• Take photographs of your injuries. Pictures can help establish the number of damages that the owner is liable for and provide helpful evidence during litigation.

Under California law, you do not get an infinite amount of time to file a legal claim against the dog owner. In fact, a victim of a dog bite attack has only two years from the attack date to file a personal injury lawsuit in a California court. Two years can go by in the blink of an eye, so take action right away. Also, more immediate action will strengthen your case since you can retrieve and preserve valuable evidence related to the attack more easily.

This video provides safety tips on preventing dog bite injuries by learning how to behave around dogs.

Suffering an injury from a dog bite can leave you both physically and mentally scarred. You may require weeks or months of rehab to recover from your physical injuries, and you may never fully recover from the psychological damage stemming from the incident. Our injury attorneys are here to help you and your family. If you or a loved one have suffered any injuries related to a dog bite, please give us a call today for free and friendly advice concerning your situation. You can reach us at 800.404-5400 or 916.921.6400.

We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning we do not get paid unless and until you get paid through a settlement or verdict.

We are members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the National Association of Distinguished Counsel.

See our client reviews on Avvo, Google, and Yelp and our past cases on our Verdicts and Settlements page.

Editor's Note: This page has been updated for accuracy and relevancy. [cha 7.28.21]

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