WHY SHOULD I HIRE A DOG BITE LAWYER AFTER I’VE BEEN BITTEN?
Since dog bites can be complicated and oftentimes involve people you know, it’s important to work with a lawyer to see where you can explore compensation for the bite. More often than not, a dog bite occurs between parties that know each other due to lack of general safety around a dog, especially in the 5-9 age group. When this occurs, our injury team works with both the victim and the dog owner to look at insurance coverage that could pay out to the victim.
California’s strict liability laws mean that the victim of a dog bite can sue the dog owner for a bite if the person was in a public place or lawfully in a private place (i.e. you cannot sue if you were trespassing). If the victim is friends with the dog owners, and those owners cooperate, our team can make the legal process simple for you. We talk with both the victim and the owners to discuss homeowner or rental insurance policies, which cover dog bites and associated expenses. Most home insurance limits range from $100,000-$300,000, but if the insurance claim exceeds that limit, the dog owner must pay the rest out of pocket.
If the dog owner and victim cannot come to an agreement, we step in to explore personal injury claims and fight for your compensation. We’ve helped dozens of dog bite victims around the San Diego and Solana Beach area, and offer free consultations to help you, too! To fight for financial compensation, dog bite victims hire our team to walk them through their legal rights and what they can sue for. We help you overcome common objections like admissible evidence, defense claims like trespassing or dog provocation, and we can help you follow procedural rules.
WHAT COMPENSATION CAN I RECEIVE FROM A DOG BITE?
Most dog bite victims sue or make an insurance claim to help them cover costs associated with being bitten. And, since over half of dog bite victims land in the hospital for some related injury, you can ask for compensation for those bills and these related expenses below:
- Economic damages like medical expenses, transportation to a hospital, surgery, torn clothing, financial loss like vacations that were postponed due to an accident, etc.
- Damages like recurring pain from the injury, loss of quality of life, anxiety or other caused cognitive damages, therapy sessions, PTSD and more.
- Potential punitive damages. In California, a dog owner can be taken to court if their dog has bitten someone more than once and has not taken reasonable action to resolve the dog’s behavior.
READY TO SEE A DOG BITE LAWYER?
If you need help navigating your dog bite case, Arendsen Braddock Law in San Diego can help. We offer free consultations to any of our first-time victims and can help you get the financial compensation you deserve, whether that be in court or with a friendly insurance claim. Reach out to us today to get started!