Legal Advice for California Dog Bite Victims

If you have been bitten by a dog in California, there are some important facts you should know about the laws protecting dog bite victims in the state. Over 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs every single year. As many as 800,000 of those dog bite victims are injured seriously enough to require medical attention. More than half of them will be children under the age of ten, and those children are far more likely to be seriously injured than most adults.  These types of California personal injury cases can be very frustrating to deal with.

Every state has specific laws regarding the rights of dog bite victims to compensation. Many cities and towns have their own dog bite statutes as well. In California, dog bite victims are protected by California Civil Code 3342. The California dog bite statute states that the owner of a dog can be held liable for any injury caused by his dog whether the dog is in a private or a public place, including the private property of the dog’s owner. Under the statute, the dog’s owner is liable for injury “regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owner’s knowledge of such viciousness.”

In most cases, a dog bite victim is legally entitled to recover damages for his injuries from the owner of the dog that bit him. California law specifically protects any person who is bitten by a dog on the property of the dog’s owner as long as that person is not trespassing when he is bitten. There have been cases, however, where a dog bite victim has recovered damages even though they were technically trespassing at the time of the injury.

There are specific exceptions to the California dog bite law. Therefore, if you are injured
in a California dog bite injury, contact an attorney to determine whether or not you are
protected under this statute.  Like we mentioned, an experienced lawyer will be able to obtain incurred medical expenses because of a dog bite and possibly additional compensation for ongoing treatment. Be sure to seek the advice of a California lawyer who is familiar with personal injury laws protecting the victims of dog bites in California.

Joel McLaughlin