Were you or a family member bitten and injured by a dog in Oceanside, CA? You may be entitled to hold the dog owner and other responsible parties liable for damages. An experienced Oceanside dog bite lawyer at Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers can help you fight to recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and your pain and suffering.
Since we founded our law firm in 2012, our lawyers have successfully recovered over $40 million in compensation for our injured clients. We have over 20 years of experience, and we’re ready to use that experience to your advantage.
You can contact our law offices in Oceanside, California Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers at (619) 344-0360, to schedule a free consultation today. The sooner you take legal action, the better your chances of recovering fair compensation.
How Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Dog Bite in Oceanside, CA
Dogs can react in unexpected ways. If you were injured because a dog owner failed to take precautions to keep you safe, you may be entitled to compensation.
That doesn’t mean it’ll be an easy process. Filing an insurance claim may not be enough to get the full compensation you deserve. Insurance companies will put up a right and challenge your right to compensation.
An experienced Oceanside personal injury lawyer can handle the insurance battle so you can take the time to recover.
When you hire Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers to protect your legal rights, we will:
- Provide experienced legal advice and guidance
- Gather the evidence you need to prove your case
- Determine how much your personal injury claim is really worth
- Hire experts, specialists, and others when needed to prove complex issues
- Negotiate with the insurance companies
Hiring an Oceanside personal injury attorney is the best way to ensure you’ll receive the maximum compensation you deserve after an injury. Just call our legal team to schedule your free consultation and learn more about legal representation today.
How Common Are Dog Bites in Oceanside?
According to some reports, nearly five million Americans are bitten by dogs each year. About 337,000 people visit the emergency room with dog bite injuries each year. The CDC estimates that about 800,000 dog bite victims require some type of medical care each year.
Unfortunately, California has the highest number of dog bite insurance claims in the nation most years. In 2021, 2,026 people submitted insurance claims for dog bite injuries. In 2020, 2,103 dog bite victims submitted insurance claims.
In 2021, the average insurance payout was $59,561 in California.
If you or a child were bitten by a dog in San Diego County, don’t hesitate to reach out to our lawyers for legal guidance today.
What Is My Oceanside Dog Bite Case Worth?
Many different factors will impact the value of your personal injury case. As with any accident case, victims of dog bites and animal attacks have the right to be made whole again. In a successful case, you could recover enough compensation to make up for all of your losses.
In determining your case value, our lawyers will evaluate:
- The nature and overall severity of your injuries
- The cost of your past medical treatment
- Your need for future medical care, surgeries, or rehabilitation
- Whether the dog bite or attack caused serious or permanent damage
- The value of any lost wages
- Your emotional suffering, fear, and damage to your mental health
- The amount of available insurance coverage
The identity of the victim can also be important in dog bite cases. Unfortunately, more than 50% of all dog bite victims are children. Children may be resilient, but they’re also likely to suffer more long-term emotional damage after a dog bite.
Their small size also means they’re the most susceptible to serious injuries when a dog attacks.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Dog Bite Victims?
Under California personal injury laws, injured parties can seek full compensation for their economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages compensate victims for the financial cost of an injury, including:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning potential
- Physical therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Property damage
Non-economic damages, on the other hand, represent your personal losses.
Examples include:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma and distress
- Reduced quality of life
- PTSD
- Physical disfigurement and scarring
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Chronic pain
- Loss of consortium
Assigning a dollar value to non-economic damages can be difficult. Insurance companies may even challenge the financial expenses you submit–and it can be difficult to prove the value of your future expenses.
Our lawyers have helped countless clients through the insurance claims process. We’ll even bring in experts who can help put a dollar value on your personal losses.
Can I Recover Damages If I’m Being Blamed for a Dog Bite in California?
Dog owners often blame dog bite victims for provoking the dog. In negligence-based cases, you won’t lose your right to compensation entirely, even if the owner can prove you were partly responsible.
California follows a pure comparative negligence law. Injured parties can recover partial compensation if they were partly responsible for their own injuries. If the insurance company assigns a percentage of fault to you, your settlement will be reduced in proportion to that percentage.
In simpler terms, if you were 30% responsible for causing the dog bite, you can take home 70% of your compensation.
We’ll Fight To Recover Compensation for All of Your Dog Bite Injuries
Dog bites can cause a variety of different injuries. The types of injuries can depend on many different factors, including the size of the victim and the size of the dog. Unfortunately, young children often suffer head and neck injuries when they’re attacked by a dog.
Our lawyers in Oceanside often represent dog bite victims who have sustained:
- Puncture wounds
- Facial injuries
- Dental injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Concussions
- Other head and neck injuries
- Crushing injuries
- Broken bones
- Soft tissue damage
- Back injuries
- Internal injuries
- Amputations, typically caused by infection
- Paralysis
- Permanent disfigurement
- Wrongful death of a loved one
Dog bite injuries can be serious if left untreated. They even have the potential to become fatal, especially if the wounds become infected. Our lawyers are here to help you fight for damages regardless of the injuries involved.
We can get started today, so call our law firm for a free case review.
Am I Required To Prove Negligence After a Dog Bite in California?
Negligence is the legal theory involved in most personal injury cases. For example, if you’re injured in a car accident, you’ll probably have to prove that someone was careless or reckless to recover compensation.
Dog bite cases are different. Most dog bite victims do not have to prove negligence to recover compensation.
That’s because California holds dog owners strictly liable for injuries caused by their animal if the following are true:
- The dog bites another person
- The victim suffered injuries
- That person was on public property or was lawfully present on private property
There is no “one-bite rule” in California. Under one bite rules, dogs get one “free” bite before dog owners can be held responsible for dog bite injuries. In California, dog owners can be held liable even if they did not know that the dog had vicious tendencies.
Defenses to California Strict Liability Dog Bite Law
Many victims think that it will be easy to recover fair compensation once they hear that dog owners are strictly liable for damages. In reality, dog bite cases can be difficult to win.
Dog owners have a number of defenses that they can assert to avoid strict liability.
For example, the dog owner may claim:
- You provoked the dog and caused the dog bite
- You were trespassing on private property
- You assumed the risk of being bitten by a dog
Even if the dog owner is successful, however, you may have a claim for compensation based on negligence.
For example, dog owners may be liable if:
- The owner violated Oceanside’s leash laws
- The dog owner knew the dog was dangerous and failed to confine the animal
- The dog was permitted to roam the neighborhood unattended
Do you have questions about how a lawyer can help you prove your case? At Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers, we offer a free case evaluation. That way, you can speak with an experienced Oceanside dog bite attorney without worrying about the cost.
To schedule yours, call our legal team today.
How Long Do I Have To File a Lawsuit After a Dog Bite in California?
A two-year statute of limitations limits the amount of time you have to file a personal injury lawsuit in California. If you don’t take legal action within two years after the dog bites you, you lose your right to recover compensation for your injuries.
Contact an Oceanside Dog Bite Lawyer for a Free Consultation
If you or a child were bitten by a dog in Oceanside, don’t hesitate to learn more about your legal options. Contact Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation with an experienced Oceanside dog bite lawyer today.
Visit Our Personal Injury Law Office in Oceanside, CA
702 Civic Center Dr. Suite 105,
Oceanside, CA 92054
(619) 678-1016
