Maison Law represents Stockton dog bite victims of all ages to make sure they secure everything they need to make a full recovery. Child victims can require additional care and support to make sure they heal and don’t experience additional injury complications as they grow. Our dog bite lawyers aggressively go after dog owners to make sure they are held fully liable for any injury to a child. Please contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation.
Do I Need a Lawyer After a Dog Bites My Child?
If somehow your child comes out of a bite incident with just a few minor nicks and scratches, you may not need the help of a lawyer. But if injuries are any more serious, such as a deep puncture wound or a broken bone, a lawyer may be a vital protection for your child and your family’s finances.
After a dog bite, victims are usually able to hold the dog owner’s homeowners insurance liable for all damages. However, insurance adjusters won’t make it easy to earn that much-needed support. They’ll try to blame the child or the parents for what happened. They can also limit the money victims receive so that parents are left paying for any additional care that can be needed months or years after an emergency room visit.
Your Stockton Dog Bite Lawyer fully investigates what happened and collects evidence to hold insurance companies 100% accountable for a dog owner’s negligence. Your lawyer negotiates from a position of authority to make sure your family gets the most out of a dog bite injury claim possible.
Stockton Dog Bite Injury Hazards for Children
Stockton is a dog-friendly city and children might encounter a pet almost anywhere. They may be at Oak Park when they encounter a dog that has been given too much leash. They may be a family get-together or a birthday party when they are bitten in someone’s home.
Children are at greater risk for dog bites because of a few factors. Children are smaller and closer to the ground, making them easier targets for dogs. What’s more, children don’t always show good judgment around dogs. They can approach an aggressive dog or corner a frightened dog, triggering an instinctive defensive snap of the jaw.
Children also often suffer more serious injuries when they are bitten. Their vital body parts are closer to a dog’s mouth. Their bones are smaller and will break with less force. Their joints aren’t as sturdy. These are just a few of the child dog bite wounds treated at Saint Joseph Hospital Emergency Room:
- Punctures Wounds and Cuts: Dog bites can penetrate deep into the thin skin of a child, perhaps cutting all the way through a limb, doing long-lasting damage. Infection can keep wounds from closing and permanent scars may form.
- Tissue Damage: A child’s vital organs will be closer to the surface of the skin. Teeth may come dangerously close to the lungs, the heart, and the spinal cord. Tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissue will be damaged.
- Nerve Damage: Numbness in hands and feet is a symptom of nerve injuries. Children may lose full control of their limbs.
- Crushing Injuries: The force of a bite might be enough to crush the weaker bones in a child’s hands, wrists, arms, and legs.
- Head and Neck Injuries for Children: A child’s neck and head are much closer to a dog’s mouth. A dog can clamp onto the neck and attempt to shake, causing massive damage. Children may suffer lacerations on the face. The spinal cord could be in critical danger.
- Infections: Dog teeth are covered in bacteria that might cause a wound to become infected. Rabies and tetanus are examples of harmful bacteria. Patients may experience fever, fatigue, breathing difficulties, and tremors.
- Emotional Damage: Children can develop a real fear of dogs after a bite incident. The anxiety around animals may be a lifelong issue. PTSD symptoms can be long-lasting for children who suffer through a scary attack.
These injuries are bad enough, but there is another factor that leaves children suffering more after a dog bite. A child’s body will still be growing at the time of the attack and for years afterward. A bite wound causing nerve damage and broken bones can affect the development of tissue, bones, and organs as children continue to develop.
Complications can arise for victims in their teen and young adult years due to a dog bite from long ago. A disability may even arise when victims don’t receive the care they need at the time of a bite or later as they mature into adulthood.
For these reasons and more, children must receive full support after a serious dog bite. A Maison Law Dog Bite Attorney works closely with parents to make sure they only accept a dog bite settlement that covers every concern.
Who Is Responsible After a Dog Bites a Child?
Fortunately for young victims and their families, California holds dog owners fully responsible for dog bites in most cases. California is a “strict liability” state. In some states, a dog’s owner isn’t held financially liable for a dog bite wound unless the dog has an established history of bite tendencies or aggressive behavior.
In California, that’s not the case. Dog owners are generally held accountable for a bite wound recovery, even if the dog has never bitten anyone before. These legal protections for dog bite victims of all ages are contained in California’s Civil Code section 3342.
The owner would be responsible for providing financial help for recovery as long as the following factors weren’t present in the case:
- The victim provoked the dog
- The victim was trespassing at the time of the bite
However, a court usually wouldn’t expect a child to be able to make safe decisions to stay clear of the threat of a dog. A dog owner may be held liable for keeping a dog in an enclosure that a young victim could easily get into. A dog owner could be liable for any situation where a dog wasn’t put in a room or enclosed to prevent any contact with a child. Your dog bite lawyer would be collecting evidence to show how a dog owner was fully liable.
What Type of Compensation Can My Child Receive After a Dog Bite
Your lawyer would be creating a list of every hardship your child had endured and could endure in the future. Everything must be on this list because once an insurance settlement offer is signed, parents and children can no longer ask the insurance company for additional compensation when complications arise in the years ahead.
These and other damages must be covered for the child’s benefit:
- Medical Care now and any that may be required in the future. Funds for regular check-ups for the child victim to make sure the patient is developing and growing without issues. Funds for additional surgeries that may be needed down the road.
- Lifelong support for a child dog bite victim who suffers a physical disability.
- Full support for a child who suffers a permanent disfigurement due to a dog bite wound.
- Travel costs for appointments with doctors and surgeons.
- Compensation for the physical pain a child may suffer for months, years, or a lifetime.
- Support for emotional trauma. This type of compensation can be substantial, especially for a child who might need psychological counseling to get over a fear of dogs and being triggered when just seeing a dog. Disfigurement can also affect a child’s self-esteem and ability to handle social interactions. This very real emotional trauma must factor into a dog bite settlement agreement.
- Wrongful death benefits for the family. In the most tragic cases, a young life is cut short by a severe dog bite wound. Nothing can replace the precious life of a child, but parents should seek justice on behalf of the family member and protect their financial future. The family would be able to seek financial support to make sure they don’t have to cover bills left behind and other hardships caused by a deadly dog bite.
Contact a Stockton Child Dog Bite Lawyer
Consult with an attorney who understands the emotional trauma that comes along with the physical damage caused by a dog bite. Families and young victims will need financial help as they receive emergency room and physical therapy bills. Parents and their children will also need time to heal away from the frustrating negotiations with unhelpful insurance companies.
When you contact Maison Law for a free consultation, you’ll talk to a real Stockton Dog Bite Lawyer and you’ll get our full attention. We will help you decide your best options for securing the adequate support you’ll need to rebuild your lives. If you decide we can help you get the most out of your child’s dog bite case, you won’t need any money now. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for your family. Then our fee comes out of the insurance settlement you receive.
