Maison Law represents Dinuba dog bite victims to make sure they secure everything they need to make a full recovery. Victims who suffer bites can ask dog owners for financial support as they heal. If you or a loved one have been bitten, please contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation. It’s a no-risk opportunity to find out what your case may be worth and how to hold dog owners and their insurance companies fully responsible.
Do I Need a Lawyer for My Dog Bite Case?
Dog bites can crush bones and leave infected wounds behind. If your bite incident only results in minor cuts or bruising, you may not need the help of a lawyer. But if your injuries are serious and a dog owner is to blame, it’s important to talk over your case with a skilled Dinuba dog bite lawyer before an insurance adjuster tries to convince you your injury is worth nothing.
When medical bills start to pile up, insurance companies like to look for ways to devalue your case. They can try to blame you for what happened or turn to their own doctors to claim that your injuries aren’t all that bad. Your local attorney would fight back with a case backed by powerful evidence and demand the maximum in compensation available for your recovery.
Dog Bite Dangers in Dinuba
Victims can be bitten almost anywhere in Dinuba. They may be at a party at a friend’s house or in their own yards when an unrestrained dog either becomes protective, frightened, or confused and decides to deliver a powerful bite. Victims may be inside a dog park along Oak Drive when they are bitten.
Patients may be rushed to the emergency room with fractured bones, disfigured skin, and internal bleeding. They could lose feeling in injured limbs and require weeks of physical therapy to learn to control their fingers or learn to walk normally again.
Once the injuries have stabilized, victims will have time to wonder who can be held responsible and who will help with mounting hospital and physical therapy bills.
Are Dinuba Dog Owners Responsible for Dog Bite Injuries?
Yes, in most cases. California is a “strict liability” dog bite state. The legal concept means that dog owners are liable for the injuries a dog bite causes. They are accountable even if the dog has never bitten anyone before.
In many states, a dog has to have shown aggressive tendencies or bitten someone in the past before the dog’s owner can be liable for a bite wound. But California law doesn’t let dog owners off the hook.
California Civil Code 3342 explains the liability for dog owners and the conditions that must be met.
- Dog owners can be held liable if the victim was in a public place or was legally on private property at the time of the injury.
- The victim can’t have provoked the dog.
The concept of strict liability only applies to dog bites. But the bite doesn’t have to have broken the skin to qualify. It simply must have caused damage.
A dog attack that doesn’t involve a bite wound, such as a dog knocking someone down, can still earn injured victims compensation, but the burden of proof for those injuries will be higher. Strict liability wouldn’t apply. In other words, you’d have to prove those non-bite injuries were indeed caused by the dog’s actions and the owner’s negligence.
Earning Compensation for Dog Bite Accident Victims
Dog bites can leave victims with life-changing and permanent injuries. Victims often suffer hand injuries because it’s the body part that may be closest to a dog. Victims may be attempting to pet a dog when they suffer a crushing bite on the hand.
The delicate bones in the ankles and wrists are also vulnerable. Damage to tendons, organs, and other soft tissue is a real threat in any biting incident. Permanent scars may be left by a serious bite wound.
Dog bite victims will need help paying their emergency bills and could need further help covering the costs of weeks of physical therapy. They could also require restorative surgery to reduce the appearance of scars or repair a disfigurement.
Your dog bite attorney will assist you in making sure every hardship you’ve faced after a scary dog attack is listed in your insurance claim:
- Medical care bills now and any received in the future. Surgeries could be necessary years down the road.
- Physical therapy costs. Rehabilitation may be needed so the victim can restore the function of a hand and fingers.
- Full financial support for a permanent physical disability and permanent disfigurement suffered by victims.
- Additional compensation for physical pain and emotional trauma experienced. Dog bite victims can suffer anxiety and PTSD symptoms after a frightening attack. Depression may follow a severe injury that limits the patient’s enjoyment of life.
- Reimbursement of lost benefits and income while the victim misses work.
- Travel costs for appointments with doctors and surgeons. These bills may be substantial if a victim has injuries that prevent driving.
- Wrongful death benefits. Families who lose a loved one can seek help through a wrongful death claim. A Dinuba personal injury lawyer would demand support to help the family pay funeral bills and remaining doctor bills. The emotional toll on the family and the income that’s been lost in the future must also factor into any wrongful death settlement. Parents who lose young children to a dog attack could also seek support for the loss of love and companionship they’ll suffer through in the years ahead.
What If a Dog Bites My Child?
Maison Law wants to protect children after they’ve been injured because their injuries can be much more severe and their recoveries aren’t always quick and easy.
Young people are naturally curious and can make dogs feel frightened, leading to an attack. Children are usually lower to the ground, so dogs can reach their vital organs, their faces, eyes, and neck area much more easily.
A child’s bones and tissue are much more delicate too. Healing can be slower and those injuries can flare up as victims mature. An injury like a broken bone that never healed quite right can cause problems in a child’s teen years as their bodies grow into adulthood.
Your Dinuba dog accident attorney will be demanding much more in support for child victims, so they’ll have the money they need for any complications that develop in the years ahead.
You may have to file a claim against a friend or family member if your child is bitten by a dog owned by someone you know. Accidents happen, but you should be able to count on help for your son or daughter. You may feel conflicted about filing a claim against a loved one, but you shouldn’t.
Your claim would be directed at the dog owner’s homeowner’s insurance company. The insurance company should provide all of the support the victim needs. The dog owner pays insurance premiums for this reason and should want a young victim to get the best care available.
Contact a Dinuba Dog Bite Lawyer
After your or a loved one is bitten by a dog, contact a Dinuba Dog Bite Injury Attorney as soon as possible to discuss your case. There are benefits available to you and your family that an insurance company may never mention.
Contact Maison Law, for a free, no-obligation case evaluation. It’s a no-risk way to find out what your injury should be worth and how to demand that support from an unhelpful insurance provider. If you require our help to earn more for your injury, you won’t need any money upfront. Our lawyers work on a contingency basis. This means they don’t get paid unless they win your case. Then, your lawyer gets paid out of the award an insurance company must pay you.
