Dog Bites & Animal Attacks

Dog Bites & Animal Attacks – Personal Injury Attorney, Richmond CA

Imagine that your child is playing outside when your neighbor’s dog wanders into the yard and attacks. You are able to get your child away from the dog before she is seriously injured, but not without being bitten yourself. You and your child both end up having to go to the hospital, and although neither of you is permanently harmed, you end up losing thousands of dollars in medical bills and missed work.

California Dog Claims

Although we think of dogs as our best friends, attacks are common, and can have much worse consequences than a few thousand dollars in costs. More people are bitten by dogs in California than in any other state in the country. In 2013, Californians filed 1,919 insurance claims over dog bites, compared to only 965 claims in the second worst state, New York. The average cost of each claim was $33,709, leading to a total of $64.7 million in costs to the Golden State’s economy. More than half of dog bite victims are children; adult victims are often postal workers or other outdoor employees. California also leads the nation in fatalities, losing 5 citizens to dog attacks in 2013.

Dog Bites and Litigation

If a dog has injured you and you can identify the dog’s owner, a personal injury attorney can get you restitution, demonstrating in court that:

• The Dog was Dangerous- A personal injury lawyer will begin the case by evaluating the dog’s aggression based on its breed and the reports of witnesses. The goal is to prove that the owner had no excuse for not knowing that the dog was a threat.
• You Aren’t At Fault- Your lawyer will examine the attack to demonstrate that you cannot be blamed for provoking the dog. This is easy to prove if the dog entered your property uninvited and attacked you there. If the dog attacked you on its owners property, your lawyer will demonstrate that the owner didn’t adequately warn you about the dog.
• Your Injuries Are Substantial- Your lawyer will add up your medical bills, physical therapy, missed work, and other costs associated with dog bites. The more costs he or she can attribute to the bite, the more money you will receive.

Be sure to document every aspect of your suffering from the attack. You should thus take pictures of your injuries as soon as the attack is over, and keep copies of all expenses related to the attack and get a comprehensive report from your all medical professionals you see after the attack.

Eric Wagner is an experienced personal injury attorney and helps people just like you to recover the money you need to pay the expenses relating to your animal attack. From our offices in Richmond California, we proudly serve clients in Contra Costa, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the surrounding cities. If you are injured in a dog attack, the law allows us to help you receive compensation for a multitude of losses due to negligence. Please contact a us today at (855) 529-4465, for a free initial consultation.