Victims bitten by dogs at Bakersfield dog parks can seek recovery support from dog owners. The liability of the owner still applies even in a dog park environment where dogs are allowed to be off-leash.
The dog owner’s insurer can be held accountable for doctor bills and lost income. To find out what your bite injury should be worth, contact Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield for a free, no-obligation case review.
Who Is Responsible for a Dog Bite at a Bakersfield Dog Park?
In California, dog owners are responsible for most dog bites under “strict liability.” It means that dog owners are financially accountable for the injuries caused, regardless of how it happened in most cases. The history of the dog, and whether the dog had ever bitten anyone, doesn’t matter. The owner is responsible.
Strict liability is also the legal rule used inside the fences of a dog park. If a dog bites someone while running around, the dog owner would usually be liable.
This might be the case at dog parks in apartment complexes, public dog parks, and even at dog parks offered at truck stops and gas stations.
These are a few of the most visited dog parks in Bakersfield:
- Centennial Dog Park
- Kroll Park
- Bridle Creek Dog Park
- Krebs Dog Park
- Mesa Marin Dog Park
Dog owners are liable for their dogs’ behavior inside an enclosed dog park. Generally, the only factor that might release a dog owner from liability is if the victim somehow provoked the dog.
Can The City of Bakersfield Be Liable for a Dog Bite Incident at a Dog Park?
In most cases, it would only be the dog owner who could be held financially responsible. A city dog park will be a “use at your own risk” location, and Bakersfield would enjoy some protection from litigation for accidents and injuries. There should be signs posted alerting visitors to the liability.
Private dog parks or dog parks at businesses would also ask all users to accept their own risk when entering the fenced-in area. A property management company at an apartment complex or a travel stop owner who provided a park for dogs would usually escape blame.
However, a government parks and rec department or an apartment owner could be liable in some cases. A skilled attorney would be investigating whether they shared in the blame. If city officials or a landlord ignored warnings about a certain guest or tenant that had an aggressive dog and that dog wasn’t barred from entering a dog park, the owners and operators of the park might face blame.
Support for Dog Bite Victims
Your attorney would demand support for all of your hardships, and a few factors that you might not have known could earn you additional compensation.
- Coverage for all medical care for as long as it takes for you to heal.
- Money for physical therapy for as long as necessary to strengthen an injured body part, like a hand or ankle. The care needed to help you learn to walk again or grasp objects must be included.
- Additional support for child victims who may have issues as they grow when an old dog bite injury flares up and affects their development into adulthood.
- The cost of long-term care when you suffer a permanent physical disability.
- The cost of restorative surgeries if you suffer a permanent disfigurement.
- Travel costs when visiting doctors and specialists.
- Support for the income and benefits that you lose while injured and unable to work.
- Support for pain and suffering you endure.
- Support for the emotional trauma you go through in a long recovery. This also encompasses the PTSD victims may be left with after a frightening bite incident.
Contact a Lawyer Serving Bakersfield Dog Bite Victims
If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury after a dog bite in a dog park, discuss your case with a skilled Bakersfield Dog Bite Accident Attorney as soon as possible. Dog bite victims should never be left to face the costs of recovery alone.
Reach out to Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield to make sure you are clear on the rights you have as a victim and the benefits that are available to you and your family. If you do require our help to earn more, you won’t need any upfront money to hire us. We don’t charge you anything unless we win your case for you. What’s more, after a successful case, the attorney’s fee isn’t your responsibility. It is paid out of the settlement that an insurance company is forced to provide to you.