In California, dog owners are liable when their dogs bite. Motorcyclists bitten when being chased by a dog on the loose can seek support for their medical bills and their lost income while missing work.
Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield comes to the aid of dog bite victims to see that they receive full compensation while in recovery. We also want to see injured riders fully healed and able to jump back on their motorcycles as soon as possible. We offer a free, no-obligation case consultation to all injured riders to discuss how to hold pet owners and insurance companies fully liable.
Why Is It a Good Idea to Have a Lawyer After Getting Bitten by a Dog While Riding?
If your injuries are very minor and superficial, or you only have some motorcycle damage, you may be able to handle your accident claim without a lawyer. But if your injuries are more serious after being bitten or being chased into an accident by a dog, it’s a good idea to have a lawyer on your case.
Higher medical bills that come along with a deep puncture wound or a broken bone tempt insurers to use tactics to limit what riders receive in support.
Your attorney fights back and provides these protections and services and more:
- A full investigation of your accident and into the dog’s and the dog owner’s history
- Backs your case with strong evidence.
- Uses that evidence to fight back when an insurer tries to blame you for a dog bite incident.
- Works with your doctors to secure medical documentation when an insurer tries to dismiss how bad your injuries are.
- Files your claim for you and handles the frustrating negotiations while you are allowed to focus on healing.
- Demands the maximum in compensation for your claim and rejects “lowball offers” that don’t cover your needs now and in the future
- Ready to take the insurer to court if the provider refuses to hand over a fair settlement
Your Bakersfield dog bite lawyer can often win you much more in support than you could by taking on an unhelpful car insurance company yourself.
Who Can Be Sued for a Dog Bite in Bakersfield?
In our state, dog owners are usually held fully accountable for the wounds their dogs inflict. Under the concept of “strict liability,” pet owners are generally responsible for all bites, even if it’s the dog’s first aggressive incident.
Under strict liability, dog owners are liable, and victims don’t have to prove much in the way of negligence. They don’t have to show that the dog owner didn’t place the dog in a strong enough enclosure, or show that a dog owner allowed the dog to run loose. Riders only have to show they were bitten and uncover who owns and is responsible for the dog’s actions.
Strict liability makes it easier for motorcyclists to identify those at fault and seek recovery compensation. But there are a few situations where a dog owner would be excused from blame.
- Motorcyclists can’t have been riding on private property uninvited at the time of the bite.
- Motorcyclists can’t have provoked the dog
As long as these aren’t factors in the incident, motorcyclists should be able to file claims and win compensation. Unfortunately, instead of providing a quick helping hand, insurance companies for dog owners can make it as hard as possible for victims to get the help they need. They can try to blame motorcyclists or downplay how badly they are hurt.
Insurers can also delay responding to injury claims simply to allow frustration and worry to build for the victim. Companies can wait for riders to get desperate and then toss them a “lowball settlement” that doesn’t cover 100% of the damages. They hope patients are freaking out about their growing bills and are willing to accept any amount.
Your attorney protects you from these underhanded tactics and makes sure you come home with enough to rebuild your health and your finances.
Dog Bite Dangers for Bakersfield Motorcyclists
Motorcyclists must always watch out for the carelessness of drivers who aren’t paying attention. Unfortunately, they have dog owners to also keep an eye on.
A dog owner in a neighborhood like Rio Bravo or Seven Oaks may let their dog off leash to run out the front door to use the bathroom. They may not have a secure gate on a backyard fence. Somehow, the dog is running free, and the first rider who goes by catches the attention of the pet. The dog gives chase.
It may be a chase for fun or the dog may be truly aggressive, but riders can get hurt either way. A dog can target the most accessible parts of the rider, namely the feet, ankles, calves, and thighs. The hands might also suffer a painful snap if the rider attempts to push the dog away.
Riders can suffer a deep gash from a bite and also break bones as they are sent into a tumble. These are just a few of the ways motorcyclists can end up in Mercy Hospital’s emergency room:
- Motorcyclists chased by a dog and bitten.
- Motorcyclists at a stop sign bitten by a dog given too much leash or off-leash.
- Motorcyclists may have pulled up beside a car when a dog lunges from the window to deliver a bite.
- Motorcyclists chased by a dog, losing control, and wiping out.
- Motorcyclists chased by a dog and colliding with a stationary object, like a tree or guardrail, to escape.
- Motorcyclists weaving into the path of other traffic while trying to escape a dog and getting hit.
The catch with being sent into a crash by a dog is that when no bite is involved, strict liability can’t be called into play. This means that the accident is treated as a normal personal injury accident. However, injured riders can still get substantial recovery support.
Riders would need to prove negligence on the part of the dog owner, like allowing a dog off-leash or failing to provide a secure enough fence in the backyard to keep the dog out of trouble. Victims might also have to prove that a dog’s actions forced the collision or wipeout.
A skilled Bakersfield dog bite attorney would collect the evidence necessary to get the client help in recovery, no matter how the injury occurs.
How Much Can I Expect on a Dog Bite Settlement Check?
Figuring out what you may receive from a homeowners insurance company can be difficult before you’ve gone over what happened with an experienced lawyer.
Every case is different, and all injuries heal at their own pace. Your attorney will fully investigate your case and come up with a more accurate estimate of your take-home support.
Until then, you can factor in a few things that will play a big role in what you earn. The severity of your injury and the time it’s expected to take to heal will play a large role. This includes the size of your hospital bills.
The time you are too hurt to go to work will also affect what the insurer should be responsible for. Every payday you miss must be accounted for in a settlement.
These are all of the things your attorney will be demanding compensation for on your behalf:
- Support to cover all of your medical bills for as long as care is necessary.
- Support for a lifetime if your injuries result in a permanent disability.
- Support for the pain you experience and that you may suffer with for months or years. It should absolutely include residual pain felt each time you get back on a motorcycle.
- Support for the emotional trauma you experience after a frightening encounter with a dog and through a difficult recovery.
- Support to replace the job income and benefits you have to go without while you are in injury recovery.
- Support to cover the costs of travel to make doctor’s appointments and to see out-of-town specialists.
- Support to repair or replace your motorcycle.
Contact a Dog Bite Attorney Who Backs Your Claim with Evidence and Fights to Earn You More
Our attorneys never want to see you struggling to pay medical bills after a dog bite incident. Those costs are the responsibility of the dog owner and their insurance providers.
Our Bakersfield dog bite accident attorneys are ready to get aggressive with insurers who don’t immediately accept blame for a dog owner’s negligence. In the case of an injured rider, we want to see victims healed and back out on Route 178, enjoying the open air.
We also understand that motorcyclists in a hospital bed, unable to work, won’t usually have the money to afford a good lawyer. It’s why our Bakersfield lawyers work under contingency agreements. It’s a contract that states the lawyer doesn’t earn anything unless the case is won. If the case is lost, you don’t owe our law firm any money. If the case is successful, you still don’t have to find the money to pay us. Our fee is covered out of the motorcycle accident settlement check that an insurance company must provide for you.