Maison Law represents Turlock dog bite victims, and we take extra care to make sure young victims get the support they need to recover after a frightening attack.
Child dog bite victims can require additional care and support to make sure they heal and don’t experience additional injury complications as they mature. Our dog bite lawyers aggressively go after dog owners to make sure they are held fully liable for any injury to a child. Parents can reach out to us for a free, no-obligation case consultation.
Do I Need a Lawyer After a Dog Bites My Child?
If somehow your child comes out of a bite incident with only a few minor nicks and scratches, you may not need the help of a lawyer. But if a child’s injuries are any more serious, such as deep puncture wounds or broken bones, a lawyer is a vital safeguard 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 downplay the injuries the child suffers, simply to get away with offering much less compensation.
Your Turlock Dog Bite Lawyer fully investigates what happened and collects evidence to hold insurance companies 100% accountable for a dog owner’s negligence. Your lawyer uses the evidence to force insurance companies to turn over the maximum in support for young victims.
Turlock Dog Bite Injury Hazards for Children
Plenty of Turlock families share their homes with dogs. They are great pets. Unfortunately, dog owners sometimes get careless and let their dogs roam free. They are also to blame when dogs get put in anxiety-producing situations, such as being cornered by a child. This isn’t the dog’s fault, and it is not the child’s fault. The dog owner must be vigilant to keep pets confined and out of situations that might lead to a bite.
A child might suffer a bite at someone’s house where a dog hasn’t been confined to a room or to a kennel. A child may be playing at Donnelly Park when a dog owner sets a dog free from its leash, leading to a bit.
Children are at greater risk of dog bites for several reasons. Children are closer to the ground, making them easier targets for dogs. Sadly, children can’t be trusted to show good judgment around dogs. They can approach an aggressive dog or corner a frightened dog without knowing to be cautious. The dog might be triggered to get defensive.
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 skin and muscle tissue are easier to penetrate.
These are just a few of the child dog bite wounds treated at Emanuel Medical Center:
- Puncture 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. Permanent scars may form. Johns Hopkins University reports that symptoms of an infection from a dog bite could include fever, increased redness or pain, swelling, fluid leaking, and red streaks from the bite
- 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 injury. 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.
Why Do Children Need Additional Support After Dog Bites?
A child’s body will still be growing at the time of the attack and for years afterward. This can cause major complications in recovery. Sometimes those complications don’t arise until years later, when children are growing into adulthood. A bite wound causing nerve damage and broken bones can affect the development of tissue, bones, and organs as children develop.
Surgeries may be necessary in this critical growth period to make sure old wounds don’t affect the maturation process. Another round of intense physical therapy could be required. When children didn’t earn the support they required from dog bite owners, Parents can be left without the financial resources to pay for this additional care.
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.
What Type of Compensation Can My Child Receive After a Dog Bite?
In California, dog owners are liable for almost every dog bite incident, even if the dog has never shown this type of behavior before.
It means that the parents of young dog bite victims can file injury claims and seek full compensation from a dog owner’s insurance provider.
Your attorney would make sure your child received these and other benefits:
- 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.
- 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 Turlock 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 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.
