Have you been bitten by a dog in El Segundo, California? Don’t hesitate to call J. Hartley Law Personal Injury Lawyers at (323) 284-2834 to schedule a free consultation with our El Segundo dog bite lawyer. You may be entitled to compensation, and our award-winning California trial attorneys can help you maximize your recovery.
As top-rated litigators with 20+ years of experience fighting for injury victims and families, we’ve recovered tens of millions of dollars in personal injury damages from powerful corporations. Discover how we can make a difference in your dog bite lawsuit by contacting our El Segundo law office today.
Why Choose J. Hartley Law Personal Injury Lawyers For Help After a Dog Attack in El Segundo, CA
Dog bite victims in El Segundo, CA, trust J. Hartley Law Personal Injury Lawyers because we’re honest, aggressive legal advocates with decades of combined experience and a multi-million dollar track record of success.
Our El Segundo personal injury attorneys believe that the best representation begins with a human connection. We listen to our clients’ stories, invest in their futures, and use every tool at our law firm’s disposal to help them achieve the financial justice they deserve in the wake of tragic accidents.
As former corporate defense lawyers, we know the lengths to which powerful companies will go to stand between accident victims and the money they need to pay for costly medical care, offset a loss of income, and cope with the trauma of a dog attack. Now, we use that knowledge and those experiences to help everyday people win life-changing monetary awards when it matters most.
Choose our law firm and benefit from personalized, trial-ready legal representation that can genuinely make a difference in your life after a dog attack in El Segundo. We offer a free consultation, so contact our law office for assistance today.
Understanding California Dog Bite Laws
California takes dog bites seriously. The state follows a strict liability system, meaning a dog’s owner can be held responsible for injuries if their dog bites someone in a public place or while the victim is lawfully on private property.
California’s dog bite law explicitly provides that “the owner of any dog is liable for the damages suffered by any person who is bitten by the dog while in a public place or lawfully in a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog, regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owner’s knowledge of such viciousness.”
Strict liability means that a dog’s owner can be responsible for a dog bite victim’s damages even if the owner took precautions to prevent a dog attack. As the victim, you don’t have to prove the owner was negligent in any way. You don’t need to show that the dog had a history of aggression or had bitten someone in the past.
You may be able to file a dog bite claim and pursue compensation from the dog’s owner – as long as you were lawfully on the premises and didn’t provoke the animal.
Common Dog Bite Injuries
More than 4.5 million people across the United States are bitten by dogs every year. About 20 percent of these dog bite victims suffer injuries so severe that they warrant a trip to the emergency room or hospitalization.
Often, victims of dog bite injuries in El Segundo experience:
- Puncture wounds
- Cuts and lacerations
- Degloving injuries
- Crushing injuries
- Nerve damage
- Soft tissue injuries
- Facial injuries
- Head injuries
- Brain injuries
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis injuries
- Leg injuries
- Broken bones
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death
Most dog bite victims suffer injuries to the extremities – including the fingers, hands, and legs.
Seeking medical care should be your first priority after you or your child is bitten by a dog in California. Often, dog bite victims suffer serious physical injuries and are at risk of developing infections or contracting diseases from the animal. Prompt medical treatment can mitigate potential complications and generate important evidence if you decide to sue.
What Is My Dog Bite Injury Case Worth?
There’s no true “average” dog bite settlement in California. Instead, the unique factors and circumstances of each victim’s case must be considered when evaluating damages.
As our California dog bite attorneys in El Segundo assess your claim, we’ll take the following things into consideration:
- What types of physical injuries have you suffered?
- Will you experience some level of permanent impairment or disability?
- Are your physical injuries catastrophic?
- Can you continue to work while you recover from your dog bite injury?
- Has the dog bite injury affected your income or earning capacity?
- Are you being accused of provoking the dog or trespassing on the owner’s land?
- How does being bitten by a dog affect your quality of life?
- How old are you?
- What kind of insurance does the dog’s owner have?
- Can you seek damages from a negligent third party, such as a landlord, business owner, or government agency?
We’ll work closely with experts to understand the ways in which the dog bite has caused financial stress and created harder-to-value suffering in your life. The more your life changes because of the dog bite injury, the more your personal injury claim may be worth.
What Damages Can Be Awarded to El Segundo Dog Bite Victims?
Dog bite victims in California can bring a civil personal injury claim to recover compensatory damages from a dog’s owner and/or a liable third party. Compensatory damages include two types of awards: economic and non-economic.
Economic damages help to cover the monetary consequences of a dog attack, which often include:
- Hospitalization, surgery, medical devices, prosthetics, medication, and other medical bills
- Rehabilitation and nursing assistance
- Lost wages and job benefits
- Disability
- Diminished earning capacity
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Funeral expenses if a dog attack in El Segundo is fatal
Non-economic damages acknowledge the suffering and difficult life changes you experience as a dog bite victim, such as:
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Reduced quality of life
- Emotional distress
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Chronic physical pain
- Disfigurement
- Physical scarring
- Embarrassment
Punitive damages can also be awarded by a California jury if your dog bite lawsuit goes to trial. Intended to punish the defendant for extreme behavior, they can only be ordered when a jury is presented with clear and convincing evidence of malicious, oppressive, or fraudulent conduct.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Dog Bite Attorney in El Segundo?
There is no out-of-pocket cost to hire a dog bite attorney in El Segundo, California. J. Hartley Law Personal Injury Lawyers represents clients on a contingency fee basis. This means that we front the costs of litigating your dog bite case.
You only pay for our hard work and determined representation when we obtain a monetary award on your behalf. When we win, our attorney fees are deducted from your financial recovery. You’ll owe us nothing if we don’t recover compensation for your dog bite case.
What Is the Statute of Limitations for Dog Bite Lawsuits in California?
California imposes a two-year statute of limitations on most dog bite lawsuits. This will give you two years from the date you’re bitten by a dog in El Segundo to file a claim for damages. If someone you love was killed in a fatal dog attack, you’ll have two years from the date of their passing to pursue damages with a wrongful death lawsuit.
There can be exceptions, but they’re uncommon. Most often, they apply to situations involving government negligence or child injury claims. With government tort claims, you’ll have less time to act. When a child is bitten by a dog, the statute of limitations can potentially be tolled until they reach adulthood.
It can be important to consult an experienced personal injury attorney in El Segundo after you’re bitten by a dog to ensure that you’re able to meet the filing deadline that applies to your case.
Call Our Experienced El Segundo Dog Bite Lawyers for a Free Consultation
If you’ve been bitten by a dog in El Segundo, CA. The dog’s owner may be held accountable for your injuries. In some cases, other parties—such as a property owner—may also be liable if they knew about a dangerous dog and failed to take reasonable steps to address the risk. J. Hartley Law Personal Injury Lawyers can help you make the most of your legal fight for compensation.
Focused on providing exceptional representation to victims of catastrophic injuries, we stand up to dog owners, insurance companies, and powerful defendants and secure recovery for our clients. We offer a free case review with an El Segundo dog bite attorney, so don’t hesitate to contact our law office for help today.
Visit Our Personal Injury Law Firm Located in El Segundo, CA
J. Hartley Law Personal Injury Lawyers
880 Apollo St, El Segundo, CA 90245
(323) 284-2834