If you or a family member has suffered a dog bite, you may be entitled to compensation from the dog owner’s insurance company or even your insurance carrier. Our North Highlands dog bite lawyers are familiar with these types of cases and have represented injured individuals in dog bite cases since 1982.

Call our experienced North Highlands dog bite attorneys at (916) 921-6400 for a free case evaluation if you or a loved one was attacked by a dog and suffered a severe injury.

California has garnered the reputation of being known as the dog bite capital of the United States. This is because our state has the highest percentage of reported dog bite injuries (2,000 reported dog bite injury claims) and nearly $65 million paid out to injured individuals.

Nationwide, the numbers are pretty awful. Approximately 4.7 million people suffer a dog bite injury every year. If that isn’t bad enough, roughly half the bite victims are children between 5 and 9. That means, each year, millions of young kids are attacked and seriously injured by a dog bite. 

When a dog has bitten someone, the owner will argue that they had no idea their dog was violent. However, that argument does not hold water in California, and it is fragile when the dog involved in the attack is of a breed known to have violent tendencies. 

For example, if you own a pit bull, you should know they are breeds most often involved in attacks. Nevertheless, any dog could bite a person, so the breed of the dog is not determinative of the viability of your North Highlands dog bite injury claim.

According to California Civil Code section 3342(a), strict liability is applied to dog bite injury cases. This legal doctrine establishes that the dog owner who attacks and injures another person is automatically liable for those harms and losses. The injured party does not need to prove negligence on the dog owner’s part, which makes obtaining financial recovery from the dog owner’s insurance company much easier.

Some people mistakenly believe dog bites are not severe; simply disinfect the wound, and you are good to go. Many serious dog bite injuries require weeks or months of rehabilitative treatment. For example, the types of injuries suffered as a result of dog bites and dog attacks include:

• Disfigurement 
• Facial and body lacerations 
• Broken bones 
• Loss of a limb
• Eye damage
• Emotional and psychological trauma

Dog bites can cause serious, potentially debilitating injuries. If you or a loved one suffered broken bones in your hands, multiple open wounds, and abrasions to your legs and knees, you will probably require numerous trips to your doctor, including a trip to the emergency room. 

You might also be forced to miss time from work because of the injuries. For example, if you are a data processor typing on a computer all day, a broken hand can force you to miss a significant amount of time from your job. This means the types of harm and losses that are compensable through a personal injury claim include:

• Medical bills stemming from the dog attack
• Lost wages due to time missed from work
• Pain, suffering, and emotional trauma

There is no risk of the financial cost of speaking to our experienced North Highlands dog bite attorneys. We offer free, no-hassle, confidential case reviews to our prospective clients. During the case review, we will discuss the facts surrounding the incident and assess whether it makes sense to move forward. We use our years of personal injury law experience to determine your case’s viability. 

The case review is a no-pressure environment, so that is okay if you do not feel comfortable going forward. We can start the process if you want to move forward and think your case has merit.

The video below explains why you should hire a North Highlands lawyer for your dog bite claim.

If you have been injured in a dog attack or someone you love was bitten by a dog, please call our experienced North Highlands dog bite lawyers today at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly advice. See our verdicts and settlements.

^{Editor’s Note: updated [11.13.23 sb bw [cs 1011] Photo by ab}