Sacramento Dog Bite Attorneys

One Bite Is All It Takes

As famous comedian Rodney Dangerfield once said: “What a dog I got, his favorite bone is my arm.” A national study conducted in 2010 showed that Americans hospitalized for dog bites nearly doubled over a 25 year period. California dog bite law places great emphasis on protecting people from dog bites. With very few exceptions, California law holds a dog owner strictly liable for any harm caused by their animals.

Victims can recover damages even if the dog has never bitten anyone before. Our Sacramento dog bite lawyers have a lot of experience with these cases. Dog bites can happen under all kinds of situations: you are out walking your dog and are bitten by another dog; you are at a park or a beach and are bitten; you are petting a friendly dog that suddenly lashes out and bites.

Dog Bites Law in California

In California dog bite cases, there is something commonly known as the “one bite rule.” This means that the owner of a dog is responsible for their dog biting someone, even if the dog had previously been a friendly pet and had never bitten anyone. This is somewhat unusual, since typically, an injured person needs to show some type of fault on the part of a responsible party. This is a form of “strict liability” and is found in California Civil Code Section 3342.

Statistically, certain breeds are the cause of most of the dog bites in California and males are 6.2 times more likely to bite than females. The dog breeds that are aggressive more often are

• Chow
• Pit Bull
• Terrier
• Husky
• Rottweiler
• Doberman
• Akita

The Damage a Bite Can Do

Because of their sharp teeth which are designed for tearing meat, dogs can cause extensive damage- including scarring and disfigurement. Animals can also carry disease, so it is important to talk with a doctor about protecting yourself from rabies and other illnesses immediately.

Surprisingly, the average cost of a dog bite hospitalization is $18,200 which is approximately 50% higher than the average injury related hospital stay. What to do after a dog bite:

• Obtain the name and contact information of the owner or the person responsible for the dog.
• Obtain the names and contact information of any potential witnesses.
• After a dog bite, seek needed medical care.
• If possible, take pictures of the dog and the area where the incident happened. It is also a good idea to photograph your injuries before, during, and after medical treatment.
• Check with the local animal control authorities. Making sure the dog is quarantined to test for rabies is also important. This may help avoid the painful rabies shot process.

Don’t Wait to Act After a Bite, Call Today

You may have been the first, but probably won’t be the last. You should let authorities know about the dog bite as soon as possible so that the incident does repeat with someone else. Discuss the animal attack with our Sacramento dog bite attorneys to find out what can be done to protect others from the animal.