At Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Modesto, we provide strong representation for all dog bite victims and take special care with children who have been bitten. We demand the maximum in recovery support for young victims and their families. Contact a skilled personal injury lawyer and schedule a free consultation. It’s a no-risk way to determine the level of support your child will need to recover fully and how to hold dog owners fully responsible.
Should I Call a Lawyer After My Child Suffers a Dog Bite?
Your child may only come away with minor cuts and some bruising after a dog bite incident. This is good news, and it may mean you don’t need the help of a lawyer to earn recovery support. However, if a serious injury results, like a broken bone, a deep wound, or nerve damage, you should speak to a skilled Modesto child dog bite lawyer about your case.
Dog owners are usually responsible for the injuries their dogs inflict, but child victims often require more intensive medical care and, in some cases, care for the future.
With medical bills rising, the insurance provider works harder to escape blame for what happened. The insurance adjuster may try to blame the child or the parents for what happened. The adjuster will want to downplay the injuries to the young victim. These are just tactics used to limit the support a child receives.
Your attorney can take up the battle for your child and your family, giving the little patient the time to focus on healing.
Your lawyer will focus on…
- A full investigation into the accident, the dog’s past, and the dog owner.
- Evidence collection using witness testimony, surveillance footage, medical documentation, and other proof to build a strong case that insurers will have a hard time rejecting.
- Filing a claim on your child’s behalf and demanding compensation for current medical bills and support for all future treatment necessary.
- Aggressive negotiation to secure the maximum in compensation for your child
Child Dog Bite Hazards in Modesto
The curiosity and sometimes uncontrollable energy children possess can put them in confrontations with dogs more than any other age group. They may corner a dog at a relative’s house, leaving the dog anxious or feeling threatened. A child may only be looking to pet the animal, but a dog can easily misinterpret those actions and lash out with a bite.
Children can also be victims when dogs approach them. They may be playing at East La Loma Park when a careless dog owner lets a pet off the leash. Children may be playing in their own yards when a dog that’s free to roam the neighborhood suddenly gets aggressive.
These situations play out every day in Stanislaus County, and it’s up to the dog owners to restrain their pets and do everything reasonably possible to prevent exposure. A dog owner’s homeowners or renter’s insurance should cover the hospital bills after an injury is suffered, but insurers love to encourage families to sign off on a settlement that only covers a small portion of the actual medical bills.
A skilled dog bite attorney helps families force insurers to cover 100% of the medical bills and other damages for as long as necessary.
Injury Risks for Children During a Dog Attack
Children are more likely to get into dangerous situations with dogs, and their small bodies are also more vulnerable when a confused dog decides to bite.
- A child’s body is closer to the ground and the head and neck of the victim are more likely to be within reach of a dog’s jaw. Facial injuries are also possible.
- A child’s skin and muscle tissue are less able to protect against the bite force of a dog. Teeth can sink deeper. This can do more extensive damage to tendons and ligaments, and cause serious never damage.
- Internal injury risks. With less protection, dog bites can sink all the way to vital organs and do life-threatening damage.
- Damage to physical development. Children are still maturing and any injury that doesn’t completely heal can end up affecting their growth in their teen years. A broken bone can suddenly cause complications years down the road as a child develops into adulthood. Surgery and physical therapy might be needed.
Your Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Modesto representative works with your child’s doctors to determine what the road to recovery looks like. Your child’s needs will be the top priority. If a child might have issues in the years ahead as bones grow and muscles develop, then insurance companies must be forced to provide support for the future. Your attorney would demand this additional support.
Can a California Dog Owner Be Held Responsible for a Child’s Dog Bite Injury?
Yes. California lays the blame on the dog owner in most dog bite incidents. These cases follow the legal concept of “strict liability.” It means pet owners are liable for dog bites and that the history of the dog doesn’t matter.
In some states, a dog that’s never bitten anyone before wouldn’t leave a dog owner responsible for the “first bite.” The dog would have to have a prior history of aggression in order for the dog owner to be financially accountable. Fortunately for California victims, the law is different here. Dog owners are liable even if it’s the first bite incident the dog has had.
Dog owners can sometimes escape responsibility if…
- The victim was trespassing on private property at the time of the attack
- The victim provoked the dog
However, these exceptions usually wouldn’t apply in a case involving a young child. A California judge usually wouldn’t expect a young child to have the capacity to read a “No Trespassing” or “Beware of Dog” sign and use good judgment. A child may impulsively charge into a yard. For this reason, the dog owner could still be liable for not securing a fence or a gate well enough to prevent a curious child from entering a yard.
A child also wouldn’t usually be held responsible for provoking a dog by chasing it down or cornering it simply to pet it. The dog owner should have the dog properly sheltered so that this type of interaction involving a child can’t occur.
Support for Children Bitten at a Friend’s or Family Member’s Home
Finding Compensation for Child Dog Bite Victims in Modesto
Your lawyer collects all the evidence necessary to build a strong case and then submits it to the dog owner’s insurance provider. This claim must also contain a full list of every hardship the child has been through and will go through.
This list is how the insurance company is alerted to what you expect your family to be compensated for. Anything left off could end up as damages the family would have to cover themselves.
A dog bite lawyer demands compensation for the family’s current bills and the many non-economic damages victims endure:
- Support for current medical bills, including ambulance fees and emergency room bills.
- Support to pay for the care needed in the child’s future.
- Lifelong support if a child develops a permanent physical disability.
- Support for any disfigurement suffered.
- Support for the pain a child must endure.
- Support for the emotional trauma a child may develop after a scary attack.
- Reimbursement for the travel costs to transport a child to doctor’s appointments.
- Reimbursement for the income a parent loses while having to miss work to care for a recovering child.
- Wrongful death benefits for families. If a child is tragically taken in a fatal dog attack, the parents should receive support for the loss of companionship they’ll have to cope with in the years ahead.
Contact a Modesto Child Dog Bite Accident Attorney
Contact Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Modesto to schedule a free, confidential consultation with a real dog bite lawyer. We want to hear what happened to your child and reassure the entire family that help is available.
We’re going to answer your questions and make sure you are prepared for the insurance tactics you’ll face so you don’t forfeit valuable support. You’ll know what your child’s injury is worth before an insurance adjuster tries to convince you it’s worth nothing at all.
Keep in mind, that you don’t have any savings to afford powerful legal representation. If you need our help earning what’s fair, we don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our pay comes out of the settlement check the dog owner’s insurer provides to your family.