Dog Bite Attorneys

North Hollywood Dog bite Attorneys

Dog bite injuries are a very common occurrence in the United States. There are almost 90 million dogs in the U.S., which is more than one dog for every four humans. As a result, dog bites happen much more frequently than people often realize.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that 4.7 million people are dog bite victims every year. Nearly 800,000 dog bite victims require some medical care, and 334,000 injuries are severe enough to involve hospital treatment in an emergency room. Some 6,000 dog bite victims annually are admitted to the hospital for care following an attack.

Young children are the most vulnerable to dog bites, accounting for more than 50% of all victims. The CDC note that dog bite injuries to children are more frequent than injuries from skateboards or bike accidents, moped and ATV crashes, and playground injuries.

Considering the fact that the majority of dog bite injuries are not severe enough to require medical care, many people ask ‘can you sue for a minor dog bite?’ The answer is yes.

Under California law, the owner of the dog can be held legally responsible for all injuries and damages resulting from the attack. An experienced North Hollywood dog bite attorney from Dordulian Law Group will help you through the process of evaluating your claim and recovering monetary damages for your injuries – whether minor or major – via a civil lawsuit.

Can you press charges if a dog bites you?

The answer to whether you can press charges if a dog bites you depends on a bit of legalese definitions. Typically, the phrase “to press charges” implies a criminal case, which must be brought by the District Attorney. In this strict legal sense, you cannot choose to press charges, or in other words, to bring a criminal action against the dog’s owner; only the local prosecutor can do that.

You can, however, go to civil court to sue for a dog bite injury or attack. Experienced dog bite attorneys at Dordulian Law Group can help you by filing a civil action against the person responsible for the dog that bit you.

Finding an experienced lawyer who has successfully handled numerous dog bite claims to represent you in your case is crucial at this point. A dog bite legal action is a complicated and challenging claim that relies on expert dog bite legal advice for the best outcome.

Contact DLG at 818-873-4300 for more information or to schedule a consultation. While speaking with a member of the legal team, you will learn about the estimated total value of your claim and how much financial compensation you might recover via settlement or trial.

What types of damages can I recover from a dog bite claim?

California injury law includes four basic types of “damages,” which is the legal term for the costs and expenses that the dog bite victim has suffered:

• Special compensatory damages: payment for money lost as a result of the injury, including lost wages and medical bills paid and anticipated to be required in the future.
• General compensatory damages: payment for non-monetary losses, which includes legal concepts such as “pain and suffering” that the injury has caused you, as well as “mental anguish,” which can cover the impact the injury has had on your personal life, whether in your relationships or the ability to do things that you once enjoyed doing.
• Wrongful death damages: There were 30 fatal dog attacks in the US in 2019, six of which were in California. In those cases where tragic loss of life occurs following a dog attack, a skilled attorney will include this element of damages as a result of the loss to the family and loved ones of the victim.
• Punitive damages: This rare type of damages can be awarded in cases where the defendant (dog owner) showed behavior that was extremely despicable, such as intentionally ordering a dog to attack a person. An experienced attorney will understand when there is a need to include a claim for punitive damages to punish the person for the awful actions that caused the injury.

How long do I have to file a California dog bite claim?

It is important to know that there is a time limit on your right to bring a civil lawsuit for injuries suffered in a dog bite. The legal phrase for the time limit is the statute of limitations, and in California the general rule for a lawsuit based on a personal injury, like a dog bite, is two years. This limitation does not apply to minors under 18 years old, so that a teen who is injured generally has two years after his or her 18th birthday to file a claim.

Dog bite victims may have questions regarding the statute of limitations and how it impacts their specific claim. It is in your best interest to seek the counsel of a qualified and experienced North Hollywood dog bite attorney before proceeding with any claim. At DLG, our consultations are free, and there is never any obligation to proceed with representation. We’re here to help answer any questions you may have, and will fight aggressively to recover a maximum financial damages award on your behalf if you so choose.

Our experienced attorneys can help you pursue a financial award for your personal injury case. Contact us online or by phone for a free consultation today.

What to do if someone’s dog bites you

The first thing to do if someone’s dog bites you is seek medical attention. It is critical to quickly treat the wounds and minimize the risk of infection, as well as to be tested for rabies or other infectious diseases the dog may carry. After getting medical care, one of the first things you should do is to contact a dog bite injury lawyer for advice on how to proceed with bringing your civil claim seeking financial damages.

Additionally, the offending dog must be restrained, and its owner identified, to avoid any further risks of injury.

Every case is different, and the complexities of applying the law to the facts of your injury will require a skilled legal analysis. The North Hollywood dog bite experts at Dordulian Law Group have decades of experience investigating animal attacks such as dog bites and successfully representing injured victims in their claims for damages.

Schedule an appointment online for a free consultation today, or call us directly to speak to our top-rated, expert personal injury attorneys.

What's the difference between a dog bite civil case lawsuit versus a criminal lawsuit?

A dog bite civil case is a lawsuit that your attorney can file for you in court to recover damages for your injuries. A criminal lawsuit involves criminal charges that must be filed by the local prosecutor directly against the person responsible for the dog that bit you.

Criminal charges are not as common as civil claims resulting from a dog bite case. A criminal case would likely involve you only as a witness to the facts of the incident and the injuries that you sustained.

In a civil case, however, as the injured victim you are the plaintiff, and the dog owner is the defendant. A North Hollywood dog bite law firm like DLG is your most powerful advocate in such a case.

If you believe you have a personal injury case and wish to pursue a claim, don’t hesitate to contact our award-winning expert attorneys online or by phone today.

What is the one-bite rule or the strict liability rule, and how does it affect my case?

There are three basic types of laws that hold dog owners legally responsible for a dog attack:

• A strict liability dog-bite law, in which the owner is legally responsible for the costs of any injury or property damage the dog causes with an attack. This type of law doesn’t rely on proving that the dog owner was aware that the dog might be aggressive towards people. California follows the strict liability rule for dog bites, allowing an injured person to bring a lawsuit against the dog owner even if the dog had no history of aggressive behavior towards people.
• The “one-bite rule” found in some states limits the dog owner’s responsibility to cases where the owner knew the dog was prone to be aggressive toward humans. The bite victim has to prove that the owner was aware of the dog’s dangerous nature, usually by previous experience with an attack or bite incident. The one-bite rule does not apply in California dog bite cases.
• Negligence laws can be used to hold the dog owner responsible if you can show that the owner was not using reasonable care to control and restrain the dog. In other words, the claim must establish that the person responsible for the dog was negligent and failed to use reasonable care by allowing the dog to be in a situation where it was able to attack you.

The process of pursuing justice and receiving compensation for your dog bite injury begins as soon as you contact a North Hollywood dog bite injury lawyer from DLG. We thoroughly investigate the facts and details of the events, with our Chief Investigator – retired LAPD detective Moses Castillo – leading each investigation. From there, we will pursue a claim against the person responsible for the dog.

How much will homeowners insurance pay for a dog bite?

Homeowners insurance will pay the full amount of the damages you’ve suffered in the dog bite injury – up to the policy’s specific limits – even if it was a minor dog bite. In general, most homeowners and renters insurance policies have liability limits for dog bite accidents between $100,000 and 300,000.

A recent study from the Insurance Information Institute (III) indicated that the average cost per insurance claim for a dog bite injury in 2022 was $64,555. That figure actually represents a 32% increase when compared to 2021.

The best decision you can make following a dog bite is to contact a North Hollywood dog bite lawyer at Dordulian Law Group. We will use local experience and knowledge to investigate and pursue your claim. The legal claims process is complicated, and your rights are best protected by a skilled dog bite lawyer fighting for your rights and overall well-being.

It is important to note that injuries and damages from a dog bite often include more than just immediate medical costs to treat the injury. Many people report non-physical and emotional concerns, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and severe anxiety that stays with them long after the dog bite happened. At Dordulian Law Group, our experienced team of dog bite lawyers will fight to recover every available means of financial compensation following your dog bite. This includes damages for psychological and emotional trauma, as well as physical injuries and medical expenses.

Client Review

“Great experience! Every thing from the start was on schedule exactly as they said it would be! Sam Dordulian took me through the majority of the process and did an awesome job communicating with me and letting me know what was going to happen every step of the way! he made dealing with a car accident an easy process!”
Ian Gray