The legal pros at Child & Jackson are here to represent victims in Sacramento who were harmed in an accident involving a dog.
If you or a loved one sustained a dog bite or were hurt in a dog attack in Sacramento, reach out to our office to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation and case evaluation to ensure you understand your rights and the laws regulating the responsibility of dog owners in the community.
The simplest answer is that injury victims are never required to hire a lawyer or have legal representation when they choose to take legal action to secure compensation for losses and expenses caused by another person’s negligence. Everyone has the right to be heard in a court of law and the ability to pursue a lawsuit on their own. But in the case of a Sacramento dog bite or dog attack incident, you might want to carefully consider your option to hire Child & Jackson to handle this matter.
Not only can the process of preparing and filing a lawsuit be tedious, but it will take away time and energy that could be better invested in your healing and making a complete recovery from your injuries. Severe dog bite damage can require extensive care and reconstructive surgery as well as significant rehabilitation to overcome the harm and trauma of this event. Your complete focus on healing is the best tool you have to restore your life to what it was once, before you became the victim of a dog-related injury in Sacramento.
In addition, if you are worried about the cost of mounting medical care, your lost income, and household budgetary challenges while you are unable to work, the compensation from your Sacramento dog accident lawsuit is going to be a crucial factor in getting back on your feet. The team at Child & Jackson wants you to understand that the average dog injury lawsuit that is handled by a legal professional instead of the victim will result in a larger settlement amount or compensation award to help you cover your losses and expenses. Choosing to entrust your dog accident lawsuit to the trusted team at Child & Jackson is a wise investment in your future financial stability and capability to move past this difficult incident.
After being attacked or bitten by a dog, you are sure to have many concerns about your health, recovery, and the bills that can add up quickly.
When you reach out to Child & Jackson for a free consultation, you can begin to get the information and answers you need to navigate these issues and any others caused by a dog owner’s negligence in Sacramento.
There is no cost for the guidance and information, and you are never obligated to pursue legal action or hire our firm.
We simply want to ensure you understand how to protect yourself and your rights as a dog injury victim.
As you enjoy all that Sacramento has to offer, you are sure to encounter many pet owners who are also outside and enjoying the community, many with their K9 companions. While you may or may not like dogs, they will be in many areas you visit, and you should understand that each animal is unique. Even animals that are deemed service dogs can have unpredictable reactions at times. They could react well or poorly to the environment and their encounter with you as you are visiting:
In addition, you are sure to find the highest concentration of dogs at the local dog parks around Sacramento. The city offers many dog-specific park spaces that include:
All of these spaces offer fenced dog areas that allow off-leash play for the animals and require owners to accompany their dogs in the space. While these areas certainly have many more dogs than the average park or sidewalk space, the owners are required to comply with all of the dog park rules that are in place to keep the owners, pets, and everyone in the park safe from Sacramento dog accidents and injuries.
In California, a service dog can accompany a disabled owner in nearly all public spaces, including restaurants, stores, hotels, public transportation, and hospitals. It is critical to understand that in this state, no professional training, certification, or registration is required for a dog to be deemed a service dog. But it must remain under the handler’s control at all times. Emotional Support Animals, however, do not have the same public access as service dogs and are not permitted in all public spaces.
In most cases, you can assume that a service dog has had some formal training and is typically used to more public access and contact with humans.
But it is always wise to be attentive to these dogs and never approach them without speaking to the owner.
California is considered a strict-liability state regarding dogs.
What that means for dog owners and the general public is that dog owners are typically liable for their pets’ actions, including any harm caused. To help protect the animal, owner, and public, dog owners are required to maintain control of their pets at all times. This includes when the dog is in a fenced yard, on a leash, or chained in a designated area. The only time the owner is not responsible for injuries and harm caused by a dog attack or dog bite is when:
In short, a dog owner is expected to be able to control their dog in public spaces actively or contain it in a private space, such as a fenced yard. If the dog is large and powerful, it is the owner’s obligation to take additional steps to ensure the dog cannot harm others, such as using a muzzle if the dog shows an aggressive nature and cannot always be controlled on a leash.
When you suffer a dog bite injury or are hurt in a dog attack, the cost for your medical care and other losses can be substantial. A free consultation with a Sacramento dog accident lawyer at Child & Jackson is the simple way to understand the items that could be included as part of your economic and non-economic damages when you pursue legal action against the owner of a dog that injured you.
The economic damages are the items that have a clear dollar value and often include:
Your non-economic damages are the losses and expenses that will affect your future quality of life. These items can include:
In most cases, the victim of a Sacramento dog bite or dog attack has 2 years from the date of the incident to have their case prepared and filed with the court. However, if the injuries were sustained from a dog that is the property of a government entity or agency, such as a K9 officer for the Sacramento PD, the time limit is reduced to 6 months from the date of the incident.
Know that in either situation, there are very limited exceptions that would provide the victim with added time to take legal action once the Statute of Limitations has expired. In most cases, once the time limit has passed, the victim loses the right to pursue legal action, and there is no means to seek compensation for their losses and expenses resulting from that specific dog attack or bite.
Sadly, many dog injury victims fail to understand the potential health risk of even a minor dog bite. While a severe bite injury is easy to identify, most victims are not aware that any injury caused by a dog that could have been contaminated by dog saliva could become life-threatening. All dog saliva contains bacteria that can be harmful to humans when it comes into contact with any open wound. Seeking immediate medical care for a dog bite injury for a complete evaluation and cleansing of the wound if the best way to prevent a severe infection that can be both painful and costly to treat.
Yes, any dog bite can become infected. The bacteria present in a dog’s saliva is not harmful to the animal but can cause a significant infection in a human. The most common infection is called cellulitis, which can damage the skin and underlying tissue and can become life-threatening if not treated with medication.
An infection at the site of a dog bite is very common but also very treatable with antibiotics and proper medical care. Seek immediate medical attention if you notice any of these indications of an infection due to a dog bite:
Suffering a dog bite or dog attack can be terrifying. Even if you love dogs, this incident can be very painful and traumatic. To sort out the legal ramifications of the injuries you sustained because of a dog, reach out to Child & Jackson today to request a free consultation and case evaluation. After a brief meeting with a Child & Jackson dog injury lawyer, you will understand your options to seek compensation and how our staff can assist you in this process. But you are never required to take any action or hire Child & Jackson.
If you do decide that a Sacramento dog injury lawsuit is the path for the best results for you, know that Child & Jackson will handle your case and never ask for any upfront fees or expenses. We work on a contingency basis so that our clients never face additional financial burdens to get the expert legal services they need and deserve to secure compensation after a dog injury in Sacramento.
