Dog Bite Attorney in Oxnard, Ventura County

It is unfortunate when you are spending a normal day outdoors and get attacked by a dog. Even if the dog is normally well-behaved, you are not to blame for your dog bite injuries. The dog owner should be in charge of their pet and ensure that they do not attack passersby. When you are in a situation where you are in someone else’s home or on their property, the dog owner can still be held liable for your wounds. 

Dog bite victims can suffer from many nasty injuries that create difficulty in their life. If you recently experienced a dog attack, you can hold the dog owner responsible with the help of our dog bite lawyers. Get guidance on your personal injury claim and have a well-seasoned law firm provide reliable services. Call Maho Prentice, LLP today for a free consultation with a dog bite attorney Oxnard. 

What to Do After a Dog Bite? 

Dog attacks are serious and shouldn’t be taken lightly. The following steps are helpful for dog bite cases: 

Get Photographic Proof 

Once you’ve encountered an aggressive dog and experienced a personal injury, you should try and take pictures if possible. If you were so badly wounded that you had to go straight to the hospital, try to have a family member or friend take pictures for you. You should take photographs of your personal injury, the area where the dog bite happened, and any other evidence. For example, if there was a broken latch on a gate and the dog owners’ pet got loose, a picture of this would be great evidence for your case. 

Get Contact Information

You should gather the contact information from the dog’s owner and tell them about the animal attack if they aren’t aware of what happened. If there were any eyewitnesses, get their information as well. 

Get Medical Treatment

Dog bites can be shallow to severe, but even the gentlest dog bite can be dangerous. Dog bites can result in bacterial infections and even rabies. You will need to get a lab test to ensure you don’t carry any infectious diseases. Other medical treatments may include bandages, surgery, stitches, imaging scans, etc. If you were so badly wounded that you were disabled, you may even need physical therapy. 

Speak To A Dog Bite Attorney

Your next step is to talk to a dog bite attorney in Oxnard, CA so the dog owner can be held responsible. When bitten by a dog, you may have suffered injuries that caused numerous damages. Your attorney can direct you on how to initiate your personal injury case. 

Types of Dog Bite Injuries 

A person injured by a dog bite can include the following: 

• Puncture Wounds
• Bacterial Infections
• Gashes and Cuts
• Bruises
• Broken Bones
• Fractures 
• Scars

What Types of Damages Can You Recover for a Dog Bite? 

After you seek medical attention, you may be dealing with all kinds of damages that are both economic and non-economic (general) in nature. 

Economic Damages

Animal attacks can result in costly medical care and time off from work. The lost income you suffer from can be included in your damages. Also, your total settlement can be added to how much you paid in medical bills because of your injuries, such as follow-up treatments, imaging scans, surgery, and many other expenses. 

General Damages 

You probably have post-traumatic stress disorder and other negative emotions because of the dog attack. This can take away from your quality of life and prevent you from healthily interacting with dogs. Other relatable emotions include anxiety, grief, embarrassment, depression, and more. Pain and suffering are a form of damages that personal injury attorneys can estimate with the help of an insurance company. 

Common Oxnard Dog Bite FAQs

Dog bite lawyers can answer any question for you. Below are the most common questions that Oxnard dog bite victims may ask: 

Can I claim compensation for a dog bite?

Dog owners are held responsible for their dogs if they attacked or bit another person. The dog’s owner will be subject to strict liability, meaning that as long as the victim wasn’t involved in some kind of illegal activity, they will be liable for the damages resulting from their pet’s behavior. If you experienced damages, you can claim compensation for the dog bite if you are not at fault. To find out if you are not at fault, it is important to reach out to one of our lawyers in Oxnard, CA who has experience in these cases. Your attorney will review your case and the type of injuries you have. They will then approach the dog’s owner and any other involved properties to obtain a fair settlement reflecting how severe your damages were. 

Can you sue for a minor dog bite in California? 

You can sue for a minor dog bite; however, it is better to seek a settlement first. Your attorney can help you settle faster without going to court. The dog owner will also be more likely to want to settle instead of going to court because it is more expensive and may result in a harsher judgment. The court will also encourage you to settle outside of court by requiring you and the dog’s owner to attend a pre-trial mediation. At this meeting, you and the dog owner can resolve fair compensation without requiring a trial date. If the dog owner can’t agree to your terms when you pursue a settlement claim or at the pre-trial mediation, then you can move forward with a court date. Then a judge or jury can decide how to treat your case and how much you can receive in compensation. 

How Does The Dog Bite Severity Impact My Settlement?

The injuries you receive correlate to how much you can obtain in settlement money. Dogs can inflict severe injuries, but most of them avoid attacks and only try to intimidate people they are being aggressive towards. If your injuries were incredibly severe, such as a permanent disability or disfiguration of your face, your settlement compensation will be much higher. This is because your life can never be returned back to normal, and the dog owner is responsible for your misfortune. When your injuries aren’t that severe and only result in a few scratches and no scar tissue, you can still receive a settlement, but it will be much lower. Your settlement is partially based on your medical bills and lost wages. If your medical bills only added up to a small sum and you missed only a couple of days of work, then your settlement will reflect that. A majority of your settlement is made up of pain and suffering, which is also estimated based on the severity of your injuries. Your attorney will work with an insurance company to estimate this amount by choosing a number between one or seven to represent how severe your injuries were and multiplying this by the economic damages. This sum is then added to the total amount. 

What Should I Do Next After An Oxnard Dog Bite?

Once a dog has attacked you, get a dog bite attorney to review your case. You should also get immediate medical attention so that your medical bills can be used as proof. Call Maho Prentice, LLP for a free consultation. 

Dog Bite Attorney Oxnard, Ventura County | Maho Prentice, LLP 

Get help from a reliable dog bite attorney in Oxnard, Ventura County to get fair compensation after you paid high medical expenses. Call Maho Prentice, LLP for a free consultation.