Bakersfield Dog Bite Lawyer
After dog bite incidents in Bakersfield, our lawyers never want to see…
- …bite victims who can’t focus on healing because they’re worried about their medical bills.
- …bite victims who can’t support themselves because they are in too much pain to go to work and earn a paycheck.
Dog owners can be held accountable for doctor bills and lost income in almost every situation.
To find out how, contact Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield for a free, no-obligation case review.
How Do I Decide If I Need a Lawyer After a Dog Bite?
If your bite injuries are more than just a superficial scrape or bruise, it’s a good idea to speak to a Bakersfield dog bite attorney about your options.
You may need the protection of a lawyer when insurers seek to shift blame in an accident or downplay how badly you are hurt.
Your attorney fights back on your behalf, investigating your accident and securing evidence that keeps the facts from changing.
The experience of a great attorney often means you’ll get much more for your injury than if you decide to handle your claim yourself.
Who Is Liable for My Dog Bite?
Dog owners are liable for most dog bites in California. Unless the victim was provoking the dog or was on private land without permission when the attack took place. The dog owner would be responsible for helping the victim with healthcare costs, missed paydays, and more.
California observes the legal doctrine of “strict liability” when it comes to dog bites. It’s meant to make it easier to identify who is responsible for a dog bite and easier for bite victims to seek financial assistance.
Under strict liability, the dog owner is held responsible, and victims don’t have to show these factors:
- Victims don’t have to show that a dog owner’s negligence allowed the dog bite to occur. Negligence might include a dog owner allowing a dog off-leash or not securing a backyard fence well enough. Negligence isn’t necessary to prove. If the dog owner owns the dog that bit someone, the dog owner is usually accountable.
- Victims don’t have to prove that a dog has a history of aggression or has bitten someone before. In California, the dog’s history doesn’t matter. The pet owner is liable even if it’s the dog’s first bite incident.
Dog owners who take their dogs to the dog park, like Centennial Dog Park, are also responsible for their dogs’ behavior. Even in an enclosure where dogs are allowed off-leash, owners are still responsible if their dogs bite someone.
Can I Ask for Support If an Excited Dog Knocks Me Down?
Yes. Victims can seek help with their medical expenses and other damages when a dog knocks someone down to cause an injury.
A dog doesn’t have to be aggressive to cause harm to someone. A jumping dog that’s excited can knock someone to the ground or even down some steps to suffer a serious injury. In this case, the dog owner would usually still be responsible for preventing such dangerous contact and would be liable for wounds.
There is one difference from a dog bite case. When no bite is involved, strict liability can’t be used to make the path to justice easier. The case would be handled like a more common personal injury claim, based on the negligence of the dog owner. Victims would need to prove that the dog owner was negligent for allowing the dog to get in close proximity. The victim would also be required to prove the dog caused the fall.
A skilled Bakersfield dog bite lawyer can take up this task and gather the strong evidence to prove a dog owner’s negligence and financial responsibility.
What Bills Can I Get Help With in a Dog Bite Settlement Claim?
Dog bite victims can suffer debilitating injuries that can affect their abilities to perform fine motor skills (skills that allow us to write or hold utensils). A bite wound in the leg, the knee, or the ankle might affect our mobility for weeks.
This major change in lifestyle for victims must be accounted for in any settlement offer the dog owner’s homeowners insurance company or renters insurance company puts on the table.
Your Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield representative demands support for these hardships and more:
- Support to cover all of your medical bills. This should be for all past and future medical expenses and for rehabilitation from something like a hand injury or a disfigurement.
- 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.
- Support for the emotional trauma you experience after a traumatic dog bite incident 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.
Additional Support for Children. Unfortunately, children are far too often the victims of devastating dog bites. Their smaller bodies with less muscle and tissue allow for more serious injuries, and a dog’s teeth can even reach major organs. A child’s bones are also easier to break.
A skilled attorney would seek additional support for young victims so they can receive the best care available and be covered in the years to come. An injury suffered in childhood can flare back up as the victim’s body grows and develops into adulthood. An old broken bone injury or tissue damage can complicate that process.
Surgery and physical therapy may be needed to allow the child to mature normally. This will take money that the child should have available from the start. Children may also need additional support for non-economic damages. The trauma from a frightening dog attack might leave a child with extreme anxiety over any contact with dogs. They may even require help with PTSD symptoms, taking them back to the moment of a tragic bite.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should I wait before filing a dog bite claim?
You can’t wait longer than two years, because that’s the statute of limitations on personal injury claims in California. If you file a dog bite claim beyond that time limit, it will likely be thrown out. For child victims, the statute of limitations is a bit different. The parents can also file at that time, but children also have their statute of limitations reset when they turn 18, getting two more years from that point to file a claim. In either case, victims should act quickly. Waiting can make it harder to secure valuable evidence and to locate witnesses who have moved away. Locating a dog owner may also become harder.
How will I afford to pay a dog bite lawyer while trying to cover my hospital bills?
We understand that traumatic dog attacks leave victims physically, emotionally, and financially devastated. 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 Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield 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 settlement check that an insurance company must provide for you.
What information should I turn over to my lawyer?
When you meet with a lawyer, be sure to bring all of your medical receipts. Bring pay stubs from before and after your accident, so your lawyer can show insurers how much in income you’ve had to give up due to an injury. Turn over the name and address of the dog owner and any witness contact information. Transfer any photos you took at the scene of your accident, including photos of the dog and of any visible wounds. Bring a police or animal control report on the incident if you obtained it.
Contact a Dog Bite Attorney Who Backs Your Claim with Evidence and Fights to Earn You More
We will mention it again because it’s so important in these cases…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.
If you have a serious dog bite injury, contact Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield to schedule a free consultation. It’s a confidential, no-obligation review of your case with a real car accident lawyer.
We don’t stop fighting until you are healthy again, you can go back outside without fear, and your financial worries are a thing of the past.