How Many Dog Bites Occur Annually In California?
I do not know exactly for California, but nationwide, it is somewhere approximately around 4.5 million dog bites a year. Out of that, over eight hundred and fifty receive medical care.
What is A Dog Bite In The Personal Injury Realm?
Under California law, you do not have to have your skin broken, just the teeth and saliva on your skin is enough to constitute under the strict liability dog bite statute for a dog bite.
Is a Certain Breed Of Dogs More Prone To Attack People?
We certainly see a lot of pit-bull attacks.
Do Most Dog Bite Cases Involve Strangers Or Are They Acquainted?
The dogs are pretty indiscriminate, but a lot of neighbors will be attacked by neighbors’ dog because they are in proximity of their house. I see a lot of neighbors, I see a lot of strangers also at parks and in public areas. It can be either. It can complicate it a little bit with the stranger because they may try to leave the scene and not be identified.
The Most Common Causes Of Dog Bite Injuries
The most common cause is the irresponsibility of the dog owner who would let their dog run off the leash or just at large.
The Common Types Of Injuries Sustained In A Dog Bite
You certainly see the dog bites where they actually penetrate the skin and cause bruising, bleeding and even broken bones. But, you can see all sorts of orthopedic injuries, you can be knocked down, strained or sprain yourself trying to elude the dog. There are all kinds of injuries that occur. Sometimes they all occur at once. You are bitten and you can hurt yourself trying to escape or you may be knocked down while trying to run away.
Is There A Level Of Severity Of The Injury In Order To Proceed With A Dog Bite Case?
It goes back to what is considered a dog bite, anything within the dog’s mouth, its teeth and saliva, you can make a dog bite claim, or any type of a sprain or strain of an orthopedic injury would qualify.
Who Can Be Held Liable n A Dog Bite Injury Claim?
The most common person to be held liable is the dog owner, but in some situations, the person who is handling the dog can be held liable, or even a landlord could be held liable under certain circumstances.
What Can Be Construed As A Third Party Dog Bite Claim?
Technically they are all third party claims, but an instance where the third party would be the owner of the dog obviously. The handler of the dog could be negligent, they could be in violation of the leash law, they could be in violation of something in common law known as Scintor, and what that means is you are harboring a dog with dangerous propensities and you know about it. You do not have to be the owner; you can just be the person that is taking care of the dog.
There are a number of things that can make the landlords responsible. If they did not repair a fence and a pit-bull is there and it gets away, if there is a negligent repair that caused the pit-bull to escape and bite somebody, or it could be that they knew about the dog, they know that it was dangerous and they could have done something about it but did not. Thus this sets up a premise liability style case.
The Difference Between A Premises Liability And A Dog Bite Claim
They are actually a subset of a dog bite claim, they are all dog bite claims. But one is you are holding an owner responsible or a handler, versus holding the landlord responsible. That is the real difference. The landlord is responsible for the safety of the premises.
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