Oakland Dog Bite Lawyer
San Francisco, California Dog Bite and Animal Attack Lawyer
According to the Centers for Disease Control, dogs bite approximately 4.7 million people in the U.S. each year. California actually leads the nation in the number of fatal dog attacks. Hundreds more people are mauled or bitten by dogs and suffer serious injuries. All too often, the victims of these dog attacks are children.
Winning Dog Bite Cases Since 1978
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Attorney David G. Smith has more than three decades of experience helping dog bite victims obtain financial recovery for their injuries. Our firm has represented children and parents, joggers and bikers, letter carriers, meter readers and delivery people injured by dogs. (Often, specific local ordinances provide public employees more protection than the general public in dog bite cases.)
In California, it doesn't matter if the dog had bitten anyone else before, or whether the owner knew of the dog's aggressiveness. There are also no breeds that are considered inherently dangerous. Dog owners have a responsibility to protect others from their pets. If you were walking down the sidewalk or biking or jogging on the street, or if you were legally on the dog owner's property when you were bitten, you have a right to seek financial damages for injuries and suffering.
Contact us our Oakland animal attack lawyer to learn more about your rights and legal protections if you or your child were injured in a dog attack. Your consultation is free of charge, and will help you understand your options for recovery.
The Tragic Consequences of Dog Owner Negligence
Children are the most common and severely injured victims of animal attacks. They simply do not understand the signals the dog is giving and do not protect themselves. Unfortunately, their short, slight bodies allow the dog to do tremendous damage to face, head, neck and upper torso. Sometimes these attacks result in the wrongful death of the child.
Scarring and disfigurement from lacerations can require multiple rounds of plastic surgery. Nerve damage often occurs with puncture wounds and can have a lifelong affect. And the emotional distress of a dog attack can trigger panic attacks in children and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults.
The Importance of Understanding Your Injuries
Often, especially with child victims of dog maulings, medical care and additional plastic surgery will need to be evaluated on an ongoing basis. We often find it necessary to arrange plastic surgery consultations with specialists so our clients can develop a treatment plan over time.
Certainly medical bills and pain and suffering are costs and losses for which you should be reimbursed. But our firm recently handled a case for a client who, after being bitten by a dog decided to move his wife and small children from the neighborhood because he felt they were unsafe. While this is not a typical claim, our client was operating from a very real concern for his family and we fought for him in court.
If you've been the victim of a dog attack or your child suffered a dog bite injury, contact the Law Offices of David G. Smith. Protect your right to full financial recovery from dog owner negligence.