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, the law is generally on their side when someone is attacked and bitten by a dog. 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, resulting 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 severe, go to the hospital immediately. Dog bite injuries can be severe if not adequately 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 necessary.
• 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 challenging to identify. To file a lawsuit, you first need to know the dog owner’s identity.
• 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 a dangerous dog 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 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 dog bite attack victim 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 immediately. Also, more immediate action will strengthen your case since you can easily retrieve and preserve valuable evidence related to the attack.

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

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 call us today for free and friendly advice. 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.

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^{Editor’s Note: updated [cha 7.24.23] sb ab [CS 770] Photos by Pixabay}