Maison Law represents Glendale dog bite victims to make sure they secure everything they need to make a full recovery. Victims who suffer bites on the hand can require highly specialized surgeries and physical therapy. This expensive care is often necessary to restore function to a part of the body we use so much. We want victims to have the money to pay for their medical care in full and not have to worry about the time they must miss at work.
If you or a loved one has 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.
Who Is Responsible for My Damaged Hand After a Dog Bite?
California is a “strict liability” state when it comes to dog bites. That means, in most cases, victims bitten by a dog are justified in demanding help from a dog owner for help with their medical costs and lost income.
Dog owners are generally automatically responsible for the actions of a biting dog, even if the dog doesn’t have a history of bad behavior.
As long as victims weren’t on private property without permission when they were bitten, they are empowered to file a claim. Victims also can’t have provoked a dog during the incident.
Usually, financial support doesn’t come directly from the dog owner. The claim is filed against the dog owner’s homeowner’s insurance or rental insurance. If the dog owner didn’t have insurance, a lawsuit could also secure compensation from the dog owner.
This support isn’t automatic. Insurance companies will try to downplay the seriousness of injuries and offer them as little help as possible. A skilled Glendale Dog Accident Lawyer would bring strong evidence to the table to make sure victims receive settlement money to cover every cost.
Dog Bite Hand Injury Dangers in Glendale
Dogs are a big part of many Glendale residents’ lives, and we can run into pets almost anywhere. Perhaps in a public space, like Brand Park, or at a friend’s house. As long as dog owners keep their dogs on a leash and restrained, or safe at home or in a fenced yard, most chances of a bite incident are easily avoided.
But some dog owners become negligent and allow a dog to get into a situation where it is confused or scared. This is when bites often occur.
Unfortunately, a part of our bodies we rely on the most, and which is most vulnerable, is often the closest to a dog’s mouth. Our hands might be reaching to pet a dog that we thought was friendly, or we might be attempting to push an aggressive dog back when our painful bite on our fingers or the meaty part of our palms is unleashed.
Teeth can tear through tissue, bone, and nerves. Healing can mean a long wait for full feeling and function to return to such a complex appendage.
Dog Bite Common Hand Injuries
These are just a few of the types of bite injuries and complications that can land you at a place like Adventist Health Glendale:
- Tears and Puncture Wounds: A dog’s teeth are more suited to tearing and grinding rather than penetrating deeply, but they can still sink all the way through a hand.
- Crush Injuries: Those teeth also do a good job of generating crush force. This force can crush bones or leave bones broken in multiple pieces.
- Tissue Damage: Muscle tissue can be torn. Tendons attach muscles to bones, but can be ripped away. The tough material connecting the ends of bones, known as ligaments, often suffers damage.
- Nerve Damage: The Cleveland Clinic notes that nerves get cut, bruised, or stretched. The damage can cause the nerves in your hand to fail to carry signals from the brain. A feeling of numbness, tingling, and pain is common for patients. You may have trouble typing or even moving your fingers at all.
- Infections: Bacteria and viruses live in a dog’s mouth, and these germs can make wounds resist healing. Victims can get rabies or tetanus, and or Staphylococcus.
With such devastating potential outcomes for victims, they must receive support now and in the years ahead. Any dog bite injury claim should include money to pay for an emergency room visit, along with enough to pay for any surgeries and physical therapy that may be required later.
Maison Law carefully investigates and researches your injury. That includes talking to the best medical care providers to determine what you might need to fully recover or to be able to cope with your injury in the long term. We figure out what you require and then examine all settlement offers to see if they provide enough. If not, we help you reject those claims and demand more.
What Must Be Compensated for Dog Bite Victims?
Dog bite victims will need help paying their ambulance fees, emergency room bills, and the costs may go well beyond the day of the bite. Victims may have to rely on weeks of physical therapy to be able to learn to use their fingers again. They may need restorative surgery to minimize the appearance of a scarred hand.
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. Hand surgeries could be necessary years down the road.
- Physical therapy costs. Rehabilitation may be needed so the victim can restore the function of the hand and fingers.
- Full financial support for a permanent physical disability and permanent disfigurement suffered by victims. These might be caused by an amputation made necessary after a dog attack.
- 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.
Contact a Glendale Dog Bite Hand Injury Attorney
Consult with an attorney who understands the emotional trauma that comes along with the physical damage caused by a dog bite. Glendale dog bite victims need sufficient financial and emotional support to recover from such a traumatic experience. They need even more support to overcome a hand injury and the loss of their ability to work and care for themselves and their families.
When you contact Maison Law for a free consultation, you’ll talk to a real Glendale dog bite lawyer, and you’ll get our full attention. We will help you decide your best options for receiving the support you and your family will require to rebuild your lives. If you determine we can help you get the most out of your dog bite case, you won’t need upfront money. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the money the insurance company must pay you.
