When a dog bites, it can have devastating consequences, including significant injuries both physically and mentally. And sadly, in California, these bites happen more frequently than most realize. In fact, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association, California leads the states with the most dog bite incidents in the country.
If you suffered injuries due to a dog bite incident in San Diego, contact Rawlins Law Accident & Injury Attorneys today. Our legal team can stand by your side through this challenging ordeal, prepare the most robust legal case on your behalf, and fight for the financial damages you are entitled to.
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San Diego Dog Bite Injury Guide
- Strict Liability Laws Following a San Diego Dog Bite Incident
- What Rights Do You Have if the Dog Attacked You but Did Not Bite?
- Types of Dog Bite Trauma
- Financial Damages You Can Collect Following a San Diego Dog Bite Incident
- Total Amount of Compensation You Can Obtain After a San Diego Dog Bite Incident
- Time Limits to File a Dog Bite Legal Claim
- Taking Action After a San Diego Dog Bite Incident
- Contact Rawlins Law Accident & Injury Attorneys Today and Fight for the Justice You Deserve After a Dog Bite Incident
About the Legal Team at Rawlins Law Accident & Injury Attorneys
At Rawlins Law Accident & Injury Attorneys, APC, we have helped countless accident victims fight for their rights and the monetary recovery they deserve. As a result of this zealous representation, we have secured millions of dollars on our clients’ behalf while remaining by their side through this challenging time in their life, ensuring they received the legal services and advocacy they can count on.
For these reasons, if you sustained harm in a dog bite incident, contact Rawlins Law Accident & Injury Attorneys today for a free case consultation. Our legal team can discuss the incident with you in a way most convenient for you, whether that is over the phone, virtually, or meeting at one of our many locations, such as our San Diego office, located off of Camino Del Rio North, near the Mission City Parkway.
Strict Liability Laws Following a San Diego Dog Bite Incident
In California, dog bite injury claims fall under strict liability laws, which means that dog owners are held liable for most injuries resulting from a dog bite, regardless if they did anything wrong or had knowledge of their dog’s previous bites.
It also will not matter if they took action to prevent the dog from hurting another person. However, it should be pointed out that this liability has certain limits. For instance, these dog owners could only be held strictly liable if the person bitten by the dog was in a public area or a private place where they were lawfully present.
As a result, to fully understand these regulations and how they apply to your dog bite incident, you should consider contacting an experienced dog bite lawyer as soon as possible. These attorneys can help you better understand these laws and what they may mean for your legal claim.
What Rights Do You Have if the Dog Attacked You but Did Not Bite?
For strict liability laws to apply in San Diego after a dog incident, the injured individual must have been bitten by the dog, and there needs to be evidence of this bite. On the other hand, if the dog knocks someone over or attacks them but does not bite them, they cannot pursue an injury claim through strict liability. Rather, they need to file a negligence claim against the dog’s owner and any other liable parties to go after monetary damages.
However, to figure out which of these legal options may apply to your situation, reach out to Rawlins Law Accident & Injury Attorneys today. Our San Diego dog bite attorney can review what happened, determine what legal remedies you can pursue, and help you fight for all the financial damages you deserve.
Types of Dog Bite Trauma
The extent and severity of a dog bite injury will usually depend on numerous factors, including the type of dog that did the biting.
However, in general, these dog bite injuries usually include:
- Punctured skin
- Broken bones
- Head and neck injuries
- Facial injuries
- Eye injuries
- Scarring
- Disfigurement
- Nerve damage
- Tissue damage
- Trauma
- Emotional issues
- Death
However, even the more minor injuries can still result in extensive pain and endless medical bills that can set victims back emotionally, physically, and financially. For these reasons, following one of these tragic attacks, consider contacting a dog bite lawyer from Rawlins Law Accident & Injury Attorneys. Our attorneys can thoroughly review the full extent of your losses and injuries and help you go after all the money you need to ensure you get the necessary medical treatments.
Financial Damages You Can Collect Following a San Diego Dog Bite Incident
If you sustained harm due to a dog bite in San Diego, you may recover economic and non-economic damages, such as:
- Medical bills, including past, present, and future expenses due to doctor visits, hospital stays, emergency medical treatment, prescription medication, ambulance services, surgeries, and other medical treatments
- Ongoing medical treatments, such as rehabilitative therapy
- Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
- At-home nursing care
- Replacement domestic services
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of consortium
- Scarring
- Disfigurement
- Reputation loss
In addition, if an individual died from their dog bite injuries, certain family members may be able to pursue a wrongful death claim and go after compensation for the losses they suffered from losing their loved one.
However, due to the complexity of some of these damages, especially the ones that are more subjective in nature, if you want a better understanding of which of these damages may apply to your case, you should consider discussing the incident with an experienced dog bite lawyer from Rawlins Law Accident & Injury Attorneys.
Our legal team can not only determine which financial damages you can pursue, but we can also prepare the strongest legal case on your behalf and fight for maximum compensation.
Total Amount of Compensation You Can Obtain After a San Diego Dog Bite Incident
While a lawyer can help you determine which damages you can fight for following a San Diego dog bite incident, these lawyers can not tell you exactly how much money you can collect for the harm and losses you suffered.
Too many factors can affect the value of a claim, including:
- The severity of your dog bite trauma
- The treatments you will require after this dog bite
- Whether the dog bite injuries resulted in permanent disability
- The ability to work following the incident
- The extent of your pain and suffering after the dog bite
- The willingness of the defendant and the insurance company to provide you with fair compensation
- The credibility of the evidence presented
- The ability to take part in normal activities you did before the incident
Yet, although these lawyers cannot guarantee you a specific amount of money after your incident, they can review these factors, determine which apply to your claim, and prepare a compelling legal claim in response to pursue every last dollar you need.
Time Limits to File a Dog Bite Legal Claim
Another aspect that victims of a dog bite have to stay aware of is the time limitations to bring their legal claim in California. According to the state’s statute of limitations laws, victims of a dog bite will only have two years to file a lawsuit from the date of their injury. Failing to file this claim by this deadline can result in victims losing their ability to use the court system to pursue the money they deserve.
As a result, if you want to ensure you are able to pursue legal damages following a dog bite incident, contact a knowledgeable San Diego dog bite attorney as soon as possible. At Rawlins Law Accident & Injury Attorneys, our legal professionals can help you determine not only how much time you have to file your legal case but also make sure that the appropriate documents, files, and motions are turned in before this statute of limitations expires.
In addition, while two years may seem like a long time to file a lawsuit, it is best not to wait to pursue legal action. This is because the longer you wait to file a suit, the higher the likelihood is of evidence disappearing, memories of the incident fading, and witnesses no longer being available to provide the testimony you need.
Taking Action After a San Diego Dog Bite Incident
Although your main priority after a dog bite incident should be getting your wounds examined and healing, taking certain steps can also help protect your legal rights, allowing you to go after the financial recovery you deserve.
That is why if you can, you should consider doing the following after a San Diego dog bite incident:
Get Immediate Medical Treatment
If your injuries appear severe, you should call 911 right away. This is the fastest and most efficient way to alert the officials of the incident, including medical personnel, and let them know that you need medical treatment right away.
However, if your injuries appear minor, you should still get to a doctor to get them looked over. Dog bites can escalate into severe health issues, especially if they get infected, or the dog does not have all their shots. For these reasons, after a dog bite incident, you should immediately get to a doctor so that they can clean the injury site, administer the shots you need, and provide you with any further medical treatment you require.
Look for the Dog’s Owner
If the area is safe and you do not require immediate treatment, you should try to identify and get information from the dog’s owner. Not only will this help you determine whether you need to obtain certain medical shots to protect you from infectious diseases, including rabies, but knowing the dog’s owner will also help you when you pursue compensation for your losses and damages. If you cannot find this owner, you will likely have a more challenging time recovering for all of your injuries and losses.
Try to Gather Evidence After the Dog Bite Incident
Following the dog bite incident, you want to document the incident as best as possible, such as taking photos of your injuries and the dog that bit you, making sure to document their breed and size. In addition, make sure you document your trauma over time to show the full extent of your damages, which can help your attorney negotiate for a just compensation amount.
Check for Witnesses
If people at the scene saw the dog bite incident, get their contact information. These individuals can provide your lawyer with additional information regarding what happened and offer testimony that can help back up your legal claim.
However, if you cannot locate these witnesses, do not panic. After you retain an experienced San Diego dog bite lawyer, these attorneys can thoroughly investigate the incident for you and find the evidence and witnesses that can help substantiate your case.
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Contact Us 24/7 for a Free Case Evaluation
Contact Rawlins Law Accident & Injury Attorneys Today and Fight for the Justice You Deserve After a Dog Bite Incident
If you or a loved one suffered harm because of a dog bite incident, you may have legal options that can help you go after the financial damages you are entitled to.
To better understand these options, consider contacting an experienced personal injury attorney from Rawlins Law Accident & Injury Attorneys as soon as possible.
Once hired, our attorneys can:
- Review your dog bite incident in detail, figure out the viability of your legal claim, and go over your legal options.
- Look for evidence to show that the dog bit you and the extent of your trauma.
- Answer your questions and provide the clarification and legal support you need during this challenging time.
- Prepare strong legal arguments to go after the justice you and your loved ones deserve.
- Take on the settlement negotiations with the other side, and fight for a fair settlement offer.
- Prepare for trial if the other side refuses to get you the money you need, and fight for maximum compensation.
After a San Diego dog bite incident, do not delay getting the legal help you need. Instead, contact Rawlins Law Accident & Injury Attorneys for a free case evaluation at (858) 529-5872, and let us show you what we can do for you.
