Maison Law can help you if you’re hurt after being bitten by a dog while delivering food in Gilroy. When you work for a food delivery service–companies like Grubhub, Doordash, or even a local restaurant–a dog bite is always possible. But that doesn’t make it any easier when it does happen. Our team will be there to explain your options and help you through the process. Set up a free consultation today.
Should I Get a Lawyer?
If you’re out delivering food around Gilroy and a dog bites you, the first thing that hits you—after the pain—is the uncertainty. Your job is already hard enough, but now you have to deal with injuries and a potential loss of income. When that happens, you don’t have to get a lawyer. But you should at least think about getting legal help. Our team can:
- Give you clear guidance on what your options are
- Help you get information and evidence
- Figure out who’s responsible and what insurance coverage there is
- Handle all the talks with the insurance company
A dog bite can throw your whole delivery routine off and even keep you from earning for days or weeks. Having someone guide you through the legal side takes a lot off your plate and helps you focus on getting back to work. That usually starts with getting the right information.
What Information Should I Try to Get After I’m Bitten?
When a dog bites you in the middle of a delivery, the last thing on your mind is gathering “evidence.” But a few simple pieces of information—nothing complicated—can make the claims process much smoother later on.
- Dog and owner details. If you can, grab the basics before you leave the property: the dog owner’s name, the address, or even a quick photo of the house or their license plate. This helps get the process moving.
- A quick timeline of what happened. Write down a short, clear rundown: which delivery stop you were on, how the dog approached you, and what happened right after. This shows you were working and handling the delivery normally, which keeps the story from getting twisted later.
- Your medical records. Your medical records show how serious the bite was and why you couldn’t keep working your delivery routes. These records back up your claim and show how the injury actually impacted you.
- The report from Animal Control. If Animal Control responds or you file a report later, their notes often confirm the dog’s identity, what the owner said, and whether the dog has a history of problems. It adds an outside, neutral record that’s hard for an insurance company to go against.
- Your delivery platform’s incident report. Whether you’re with DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Instacart, or another app, reporting the bite through the platform helps show you were working when it happened. It also keeps workers’ compensation and any insurance claims in sync.
You don’t need to have all of this right away. These are simply the building blocks of a strong claim, and they help you figure out what options you actually have moving forward.
What Options Do I Actually Have After I’m Bitten by a Dog While Making a Delivery?
The single biggest marker of what your options are after you’re bitten by a dog while making a food delivery isn’t the bite itself–it’s how you’re classified by the company you work for. In simpler terms, this comes down to whether you’re a:
- Full-time employee.
- Contractor
Most food delivery drivers aren’t employed by the restaurant directly, they’re contractors. If you deliver food for one of the big delivery services like DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats, or Postmates, you don’t have access to normal workers’ comp benefits. Instead, you have to file a
- Standard injury claim.
Most injury claims require proof that someone was negligent. Dog bite cases in California work differently because of strict liability. You don’t have to prove the owner was careless—you only have to show that their dog bit you.
With this, you can move forward with a claim, either through:
- Insurance out of court, or;
- A personal injury lawsuit
Either way, the goal is to recover the losses tied to the bite. Even smaller injuries can lead to real problems—missed income, medical bills, or anxiety around dogs while delivering. These make up your damages, and you can potentially recover:
- Medical expenses now and in the future
- Lost income or reduced earning ability if you can’t work your normal route
- Replacement costs for clothing, shoes, or equipment damaged in the incident
- Pain and suffering related to the physical injury
- Emotional distress, including anxiety, trauma, or PTSD
- Reduced quality of life if the injury affects your daily activities
It’s rare, but if you’re a full-time employee of the restaurant, you can also file a workers’ comp claim that runs alongside your injury claim at the same time. That can mean access to both sets of benefits. Just keep in mind there are strict deadlines: one year to file for workers’ comp, and two years for an injury claim. Acting quickly helps protect your rights and gives your legal team time to build a strong case from the start.
What Can Lead to Dog Bites for Food Delivery Drivers in Gilroy?
No matter who you deliver food for, you’re going to run into dogs. Most are harmless. Some aren’t. And a few common situations make delivery drivers especially vulnerable:
- Regular interactions with dogs on porches, gates, and doorways, which naturally increases the chances of running into one that isn’t friendly with strangers.
- Stepping onto properties you’ve never visited before, and some dogs see anyone outside their usual circle as a threat—especially if they’re protective of their yard or owner.
- Many owners don’t leash or restrain their dogs before answering the door, which means a dog can slip past them in a split second and reach the driver.
- Dogs are wired to protect their people and their space, and when they hear footsteps on the porch or a knock at the door, instinct can kick in and lead to aggressive behavior.
- Even simple things like rustling bags, walking up stairs, or leaving an order at the door can startle a dog and trigger a bite.
Staying alert helps, but even the most careful delivery driver can’t predict every dog’s behavior. If you’re bitten while doing your job, you have legal protections—and our team can walk you through your options.
Food Delivery Drivers Can Turn to Maison Law Gilroy After a Dog Bite in Gilroy
Most food delivery drivers are just trying to make a living. A dog bite can throw everything off—your physical health, your confidence going up to doors, and your ability to earn for days or weeks.
We understand how frustrating and overwhelming that can be. Our team at Maison Law will explain your options in plain language and guide you through the process of filing the right type of claim, whether it’s workers’ comp, an injury claim, or both. We’re here to help you get things back to normal. Set up a free consultation today.
