Dog Bites and Attacks
Each year across the United States, almost 5 million people are attacked by dogs and 334,000 dog bite victims require emergency medical treatment.
Daily, about 1,000 dog bite victims are treated in hospital emergency rooms. About 15-20 of these dog bite attacks result in death.
In California, a person who keeps or has control of an animal (including a dog) may be held liable under the dangerous animal rule and for negligence for all sustained injuries and damages. This may apply even if the dog is partly under the care of others.
Several Dog Bite Case Results...  $500,000.00 Neighbor's dog bites child- Our client's 15 month old son was attacked and bitten by a dog owned by their neighbor and who also happened to be a lawyer. At the time of the attack, the mother reached down to pull the dog off of her son. The dog turned, grabbed the mother by the throat and pulled her to the ground. The owners of the dog were not cooperative and the family was forced to litigate the case which resulted in a $500,000.00 settlement.
$330,000.00 Dog bites part of finger off- While walking his dog, our client and dog were attacked by a pit bull being. Part of our client's finger was bitten off and he sustained other serious injuries. Our client's dog was also injured and required two surgeries. The owners of the pit bull refused to cooperate and we were forced to file a civil action against them resulting in a judgment of more than $330,000.00. Within weeks of the judgment being entered, the defendants delivered a personal check to our office to satisfy the judgment with interest. $70,000.00 Dog bit minor client on the face. $50,000.00 Dog bit a young child on face and nose. $50,000.00 Unleashed dogs ran from car knocking down our client who was riding his bicycle. Client suffered a broken shoulder. Dozens of other dog bite cases. Click here for more results...
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Strict liability law provides that the owner of a dog is liable for the damages suffered by anyone who is bitten by the dog while in a public place or lawfully in a private place, including the dog owner's property, regardless of the prior viciousness of the dog or the owner's knowledge of that viciousness. Contrary to what many people believe, there is no "one bite" rule in California.
It is important to note that more than half of all
dog bite victims are children who are usually attacked in the face. For every fatal dog bite in the United States, there are about 230,000 bites that are not treated by a physician.
About 40% of American’s own at least one dog resulting in more than 55 million dogs in the United States. A majority of dog bite attacks happen at home or at a neighbors house in the presence of family and friends.
Rottweillers and Pit Bulls lead the pack in numbers when it comes to maiming and deaths. 8 out of 10 dog bites involve a male dog.
Dog bite losses exceeded $1 billion dollars per year.
Consumer Tips- Several good resources are available relative to dog issues:
The University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, the largest veterinary school in the nation.
Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine is one of the top veterinary medicine schools in the United States.
The Animal Behavior Society (ABS) is a group of professionals (veterinarians and PhD's) who are concerned with the study and clinical practice of animal behavior. It has a credentialing program for an "Accredited Applied Animal Behaviorist."
The American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB) is a group of veterinarians who specialize in the study and clinical practice of animal behavior.
Dr. Richard Polsky is a certified applied animal behaviorist who specializes in dogs.
Dr. Patrick Melese is a board certified animal behaviorist whose practice helps dog owners solve their pets' behavioral problems.
If you or a family member have experienced a catastrophic injury or wrongful death because of an injury or attack caused by a dog, you may be entitled to compensation. Please
contact us to get your questions answered today!