Man’s best friend can be spiteful and agitated at times. The impact of a dog bite can be truly severe. Besides the immediate wound caused by the bite, one may have to go through extreme anxiety and trauma. If you have suffered a dog bite, you should consider lawyering up without delay. A Los Angeles dog bite attorney can help evaluate the worth of your claim, and here’s more on what you need to know.
The basics
As we mentioned, dog bites can cause serious trauma. You may need treatment for a while, including therapy, to overcome the trauma. Filing a claim can seem confusing, and people often don’t count their lost income and other losses. If you decide to sue the owner for their pet’s action, you need to provide proof. Evaluating the scope and worth of your claim is often the hardest part, which is precisely why you need to hire an attorney. People are often hesitant to go to court for cases involving dog bites. Fortunately, most cases don’t end up in trial.
Why do you need an attorney?
Some dog bite injuries may include disfigurement and even fractures. Victims often lose present and future earnings and may have to pay huge for their treatment. A dog bite lawyer in LA can help determine the best legal strategy in such circumstances. Your lawyer will negotiate on your behalf and will use their private resources to find medical evidence. If needed, the attorney may even engage a private investigator to learn more about the dog’s past behavior and the history of such incidents associated with the owner.
California is a strict liability state
What does that mean? In California, dog owners cannot claim that they didn’t know of the dogs’ viciousness or aggressiveness and can be held liable if the dog bites someone. Also, the owner is liable even if the incident happened on private property. Of course, there is also the factor of negligence. For instance, if the owner didn’t leash the dog or left their dog unsupervised in the yard, they could be held at fault when the dog bites someone.
The statute of limitations in California gives a window of one year to file a civil lawsuit. The deadline starts from the date of the bite, and therefore, you have to act immediately and get an attorney on your side. Most lawyers in LA would offer free initial consultations.
