Laguna Hills Dog Bite Lawyer

Dogs can be wonderful companions, but they can also be quite dangerous. If you or a member of your family has been bitten by a dog, you need to speak with experienced personal injury attorneys who have handled dog bite cases before and know how to get justice for you.

Many types of dogs can inflict significant injuries on people, especially children. Victims of dog bites often wind up facing many difficult issues – medical costs, physical pain, psychological suffering, and perhaps even lost wages.

Laguna Hills dog bite attorneys have helped many people deal with the suffering caused by these sorts of injuries.

How Have Dog Bite Laws Changed?

Years ago, the common law offered a simple rule: “Every dog is entitled to its first bite.” That is, if the owner of the animal had no knowledge that the dog had a tendency to bite someone, then the owner did not owe damages.

Today, the law takes a more sophisticated approach. Many states have incorporated the “one bite rule” into their dog bite law in a significant way, despite having statutes that impose liability for dog bites. These states are referred to as “mixed dog bite statute states.”

California’s Definition of Dog Bite Injuries

California Civil Code section 3342 addresses injuries caused by dog bites. A dog’s owner may be held liable for another person’s damages in a civil lawsuit if:

  • The person’s injury was caused by a dog bite
  • The injured person was in a public place or lawfully in a private place when the bite occurred

The law makes an exception for dog bites that happen when the animal is doing police or military work.

How Does California Define Negligence?

Negligence is the failure to exercise the degree of care that a reasonable person would have shown under the circumstances. Would the typical person have foreseen that their activity created a significant risk of harm?

It is often easier to prove the dog owner’s negligence in a Laguna Hills dog bite claim if the victim can prove that the owner was violating the local leash law.

A leash law typically requires that a dog be on a leash when not on its owner’s property. Usually the length of the leash is specified, and there must be a person at the other end of the leash – someone who is capable of controlling and restraining the dog, if necessary.

Possible Defenses

What arguments can be presented by the owners in a dog bite lawsuit? The answer is worth knowing whether someone has been the victim of a dog bite, or if they are a dog owner who is on the receiving end of the complaint.

Some defenses dog bite attorneys in Laguna Hills see include:

  • The victim provoked the dog by physically abusing it
  • The victim was trespassing on the dog owner’s premises
  • The victim was a veterinarian who was treating the dog at the time of the incident
  • The victim was committing a crime against the owner of the dog

Begin Your Claim with a Laguna Hills Dog Bite Attorney

As in other personal injury lawsuits, the quality of the evidence can determine the outcome of the case. That means medical examinations of the victim, photographs of the scene where the attack took place, eyewitness testimony. Experienced counselors know how to gather this kind of evidence and present it so that you can obtain damages from a negligent dog owner.

If you or a family member has been injured by a dog, you should seek legal advice from a Laguna Hills dog bite lawyer right away.