San Bernardino Dog Bite Lawyer

San Bernardino Dog Bite Lawyer

With laws against allowing dogs to roam free in most communities, you probably thought being bitten by a dog in this day and age was unlikely. But you or someone you care about suffered a dog bite, anyway. Are you just terribly unlucky? Not really. Surprisingly, almost 2% of the United States' population is bitten by a dog each year, and San Bernardino and its environs are not immune to the problem.

If your dog bite was inflicted by someone else's pet, the fear and panic you probably felt at the time of the dog attack may have left you emotionally, as well as physically, scarred. Your sense of safety on the sidewalks of your own San Bernardino -area neighborhood may be lost. And you may wonder if the dog was up to date on its rabies vaccinations.

Most areas of San Bernardino County require dogs to be on leashes when they are not enclosed in a home or yard. San Bernardino County dog owners who fail to follow the laws, or who fail to restrain their dogs when they are leashed, are responsible when their dogs bite innocent bystanders. So if you or someone you care about has been the victim of a dog bite, it's important that you contact a good San Bernardino dog bite attorney as soon as possible. You need to protect your rights after a dog bite incident.

What To Do After a Dog Bites

When the dog attack is over and the victim has gotten to safety, what should the dog bite victim do? Obviously, getting medical care should be the first thing on the list of things to do. Without it, the dog bite sufferer is more susceptible to infection and, in the worst-case scenario, rabies.

After the dog bite victim gets medical help, steps should be taken to make sure that the responsible parties pay for dog attack damages. The victim should not have to pay these dog bite-related costs. To make sure a dog bite claim is a strong one, there are some important things the dog attack victim should do:

• Find the dog's owner: Identify the dog and then find its owners, so that the owners will know the dog has attacked someone. They need to know this so that they can make sure the dog does not inflict a dog bite on anyone else. They may also have homeowner's insurance covering dog bite claims, and they will want to inform their insurer.

• Report the dog attack: The San Bernardino County public health department's animal services division should be notified of the dog bite incident, as should the local police department. They will create a record of the dog bite event, which may prove useful to the victim's lawyer if a claim for dog bite damages is made.

• Preserve evidence of the dog bite event: If possible, the dog bite victim should get contact information from any witnesses to the dog attack. Pictures should be taken of the place where the dog bite incident happened if there are torn clothing pieces, scratch marks or blood there. Torn clothing and photos of the dog bite wounds should be saved for an attorney's future reference.

Holding the Dog's Owner Responsible

California law does not require dog bite victims to prove the dog was a known danger prior to the dog attack. A San Bernardino -area dog owner can be held responsible for dog bite damages even if the dog never showed signs of aggression before. All the dog bite victim must show to recover is:

• That the person against whom the claim is made is the dog's owner;

• That the dog bite victim was bitten while on public property or while lawfully on private property;

• That the person making the claim was actually bitten during the dog attack; and

• That the dog bite injured the claimant.

If you, with the help of your San Bernardino dog bite lawyer, can prove these things, you may be eligible for compensation. Depending upon the nature of your dog bite injuries, the severity of the dog attack and the insurance coverage or assets of the dog owner, you may be able to get compensated for:

• Medical bills (both past and future)

• Lost income

• Pain and suffering

• Medical monitoring

• Loss of enjoyment of life

• Lifetime care costs

• Wrongful death

• Punitive damages

Finding the Best San Bernardino Dog Bite Attorney

After a dog bite incident, it is important that you immediately find an experienced San Bernardino personal injury attorney who knows how to investigate, negotiate and litigate dog bite claims. If you wait, crucial evidence could be lost, severely weakening your dog bite claim.

The Reeves Law Group has been obtaining exceptional results for their personal injury clients for more than 20 years. Many of these satisfied clients are dog bite victims who benefited from the firm's years of expertise and its ability to finance thorough dog attack investigations. If you or a loved one have been bitten by a dog, in San Bernardino County or elsewhere, you may be entitled to compensation. Please call us for a free consultation about your dog bite claim, at (800) 644-8000 or e-mail us.