According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the highest rate of dog bites to children are to those who range from five to nine years of age. Those bites constitute an alarming 51.2% of all dog bites. They typically involve a familiar dog, and they often involve bites to the face and neck areas.
Most often, they’re triggered by the child’s intrusive facial proximity to the dog, like when trying to hug it. The child might require extensive medical care, treatment or even surgery for a dog bite to a child’s face, nose, lips, eye or ear. If your child was the victim of a dog bite, you’ll want to speak with our dog bite lawyer here at Maison Law, as soon as you can. We can arrange for a free consultation and case review. We can answer your questions and advise you of all of your legal options.
Common Reasons Why Dogs Bite Children
Both children and dogs are unpredictable. To kids, dogs are furry loving creatures that want children to play with them. Dogs don’t have the reasoning abilities of humans though. Therefore, they’re susceptible to misinterpreting the intentions of a human. Especially those of a child when he or she invades a dog’s territory. Dogs can also be startled if suddenly awakened or approached from behind. They can react by biting defensively. A dog might also defend its food, a toy or even another dog in its pack. Bites might even occur when a child is playing with a dog, especially if no one is looking after them.
What to Do if a Dog Bites Your Child
Unless you’re certain that your child’s skin hasn’t been broken, the most important thing that you can do is to get your child to an emergency room for an examination and treatment. A bite that breaks the skin and is left untreated can significantly increase the chances of an infection setting in. If that happens, your child is in serious danger. After leaving the emergency room, try to determine who the owner of the dog is and take down appropriate contact information. Then, notify the City of Los Angeles Animal Control Department to report the bite. After that, contact our Los Angeles dog bite lawyer here at Maison Law for that free consultation and case review.
California is a Strict Liability Dog Bite State
Some states follow the “one free bite” rule when a dog’s owner may not be held liable the first time that a dog bites somebody. With that bite, the owner is put on notice of a dog’s vicious propensity though. California doesn’t follow that rule. Pursuant to section 3342 of the California Civil Code, strict liability for injuries and damages applies to just about any dog bite that occurs inside of the state. Whether a certain dog has ever bitten somebody in the past is irrelevant, so long as the victim was on public property or lawfully on the private property of the dog’s owner.
Whether a dog bite required an emergency room and follow-up visit or reconstructive surgery in or around Los Angeles, contact our Los Angeles dog bite lawyer here at Maison Law for that consultation and case review at no cost at all to you. We will answer your questions. We’ll advise you of all of the legal options that you have on behalf of your child. When you hire us to represent your child, we’ll begin building a compelling case on his or her behalf. Our objective will be to obtain the highest settlement or verdict that your child deserves.
Contact a Los Angeles Dog Bite Lawyer Today
If a dog bites you or a loved one to cause a serious injury, make sure your family is not left to cover the costs of the recovery. Holding a negligent dog owner responsible is vital when you want to ensure you don’t lose everything while trying to pay medical expenses.
The dog owner’s insurance company may try to get you to take some of the blame for the dog bite. But don’t fall for this “bad faith” tactic. They simply want to reduce the amount of money they’ll have to provide as you recover.
After a bite, contact an experienced Dog Bite Lawyer such as Martin Gasparian for a free and confidential case evaluation. Mr. Gasparian takes a hands-on approach to every case. He works to help victims get their lives back on track as quickly as possible without the worry of financial burdens.
