Dog Bites and the Law: The California Statute of Limitations

The Statute of Limitations in California Dog Bite Laws is Two Years

When a dog viciously attacks, the damages can be disfiguring, traumatic and costly. Victims of dog bite attacks should immediately contact a dog bite lawyer.

A dog bite is always unexpected and sometimes serious. If a dog bite leads to a serious injury, a dog bite lawyer should be contacted immediately. Children are the most frequent victims and often incur facial wounds, leading to extensive medical treatment and reconstructive surgery. In the case of adults who are victims, injuries from a dog attack might require medical care and therapy, and lead to permanent injuries, disability and lost time from work. Almost all victims suffer psychological trauma in the aftermath.

Aside from physical and emotional damage, victims are left with significant expenses and sometimes lost income. This is why dog attack victims and their families typically consult personal injury lawyers who specialize in dog bites. A dog bite can incur tens, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars on its victims.

Consider some of the statistics:

• About 4.7 million people are annually bitten by dogs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Children constituted 900,000 of dog bite cases last year. Boys are bitten more often than girls.
• Insurance company payouts to litigants in dog bite injuries nationally were approximately $480 million in 2011, nationwide.
• In that same year, there were 2,400 dog bite claims in California alone, where damages totaled more than $92 million.

Personal injury dog bite lawyers: Don?t wait to file your claim

Experienced trial attorneys will advise victims in all types of personal injuries, including those in dog attacks, to not allow too much time to elapse before filing a claim on their injuries. The biggest risk in this is that if you are up against the two-year statute of limitations ? California?s law on dog bites and all personal injury torts (California Code of Civil Procedure Section 335.1) ? you risk not being able to locate the defendant.

This is particularly important in the case of dog bites, as the dog may no longer be alive or locatable as evidence in the case. It could be much more difficult to locate witnesses. Dog bite attacks already can be thin on evidence, particularly if in the moment of the attack you were unable to get names, photographs or witnesses to support your claim.

A dog bite law firm with experienced trial lawyers is your best ally in recovering for losses. Contact one as soon as possible after the injury to ensure your best chances for achieving a fair settlement (lawyers in personal injury often collect no fees unless a satisfactory judgment is achieved).

R. Klettke is a freelance writer. He writes about personal injury and medical malpractice law and other matters of jurisprudence.

Important Advisory: This article is not intended to provide legal advice upon which you or anyone else should rely in making any decisions regarding the instituting or prosecuting of a legal claim. Laws and rules relating to the bringing of a claim vary widely from state to state. You should always contact a personal injury attorney to obtain information as to the rules and the laws pertaining to any claim you might have.

Source: http://www.legalplayground.com/1095-dog-bites-and-the-law-the-california-statute-of-limitations.html

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