Dog bites are very common in this country and are associated with small children. Small children are unfortunately often bitten on the face by dogs. Dogs not only often bite children, but these dogs bite children on the face with great frequency. Children often suffer from life long scars following a dog bite to the face. Dog bites are one of the top reasons why children have to go to the emergency room.

In California there are no free dog bites, meaning one bite and the owner must pay for damages. No free bite means strict liabilty, meaning as soon as the owner is identified the claimant can pursue a claim. Other types of personal injury claims require the victim prove liability, but this is not sue in dog bite claims in California. Typically the personal injury claimant has a car accident claim and is usually successful in a personal injury lawsuit. Other personal injury lawsuits are not as successful. Defective product claims for example are much more difficult and relatively expensive. Defective product lawsuits often require very large investments and therefore are high risk. The high risk means that many attorneys advise the client not pursue the claim when the injuries are small or moderate. In some instances personal injury attorneys pursue high defective product claims and after advancing hundreds of thousands of dollars end up going bankrupt when a jury decides against them. This happens primarily in federal courts where 100% all the jurors have to hold in favor of the personal injury claimant.

Because liability is established the minute the owner is identified, dog bite attorneys have a much easier time with these cases. Dog bite claims are generally handled in state court, because the laws that apply are state based laws not federal laws. The odds of a success are much higher on dog bite cases than many other type of cases. These type of claims are usually smaller to medium size injury claims, but the success rate is by far higher than most other type of injury claims. The biggest draw back in dog bite cases is that the owner of the dog is often an irresponsible owner and tends to have no insurance. The dog owner often has to file bankruptcy to escape liability and this happens with frequency when there is no insurance to cover the damage done by the dog.

The type of injury that is suffered by a typical dog attack is different from other type of injuries suffered in accidents and requires some expertise in evaluating the claim. The victim of a dog attack should contact a dog bite attorney right away to determine what course of action to take and obtain representation if needed. Sometimes timing is everything and calling too late often results in no compensation for injuries which may be devastating.

Seemingly insignificant injuries can often be life long injuries which may require significant medical treatment and which can cost a substantial decline in future income.

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Category: Legal
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