California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog
A Riverside dog attack on Friday resulted in dog bite injuries to an eleven year old boy. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Riverside dog bite occurred when a pit bull dog, belonging to a neighbor, somehow escaped from a leash and attacked the boy. The father of the boy then got his gun and shot the dog.
Riverside police said the pit bull dog attack victim should recover fully from his dog bite injury. The dog was taken by animal control and is expected to be put down. It was not reported what part or parts of the body of the boy were bitten by the pit bull dog. Usually, the wounds occur to the hands, arms or legs, as these are the areas that dogs frequently strike.
Some very serious dog attack injuries occur when dogs bite near the head or neck area of a victim. These dog bite wounds may leave unsightly scars and/or cause severe emotional distress in their victims. Many dog attack victims often suffer from nightmares associated with the incident and have trouble getting back to their normal lives, including trusting other dogs.
The California dog bite law is that the owner of a dog is strictly liable for the damages caused when the dog bites another person. This means that the owner is responsible for any dog bite damages, regardless if the dog has attacked anyone in the past. Some people mistakenly think that there is a “one bite rule” in which the owner is not responsible the first time his or her dog attacks and bites a victim. However, it does not matter if there was a prior bite in the dog’s history or what type of dog is involved.
One of the reasons for this law is the benefit to public policy. When determining who should pay for the damages caused by a dog bite, between a victim and the owner of the dog, the owner of the dog should be held responsible. Fortunately for most dog owners, if they have a homeowner’s insurance policy, this should cover and pay for the dog bite damages to the victim. These damages may include medical bills, psychiatric bills, loss of earnings, and general damages for pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life activities. If the dog bite victim requires plastic surgery to repair the dog bite scars or wounds, the owner of the dog (or his or her insurance company) will be responsible to pay for this as well.
If you or a loved one are injured in a California dog attack, call our office for a free consultation with a California dog bite lawyer. We handle California dog bite injury incidents throughout the state, including Los Angeles, Calabasas, Van Nuys and Riverside.