Maison Law represents victims of dog bite injuries throughout California. We understand the negative impact these incidents can have on your life or the life of someone you care about. Often, it involves traumatic bites that leave puncture wounds and other issues that you have to deal with as you try to move forward. If this has happened to you and you’d like to know more about your options, contact us today for a free consultation.
Should You Hire a Lawyer After Suffering Puncture Wounds in a Dog Bite?
Any number of injuries can happen in a typical dog bite incident, but one of the most common–nearly universal–are puncture wounds and avulsions. This isn’t surprising considering the circumstances: a dog’s jaws and teeth puncture the bite area and then their jaws and teeth tear into the skin and muscle, creating wounds and other injuries.
But the question of whether you need a lawyer or not depends on how severe the puncture wounds and avulsion injuries are. If they’re minor, you can probably handle the claim yourself. But if your injuries are more severe, or you have questions about legal liability, consider working with our team. Here’s how we help clients like you:
- Explaining your rights and options – California law holds dog owners “strictly liable” for any injuries their dog causes–so long as you weren’t trespassing or provoking the dog into attacking So, we’ll examine the details of your case and explain what the path ahead looks like. Typically, it’ll involve us helping you file either an insurance claim or a lawsuit.
- Building a strong case – No matter which option you choose, we’ll help you build a strong case. We do this by helping you collect important evidence, get witness testimony, track your medical expenses and other losses, and finally, negotiate with the insurance company–who will represent the dog’s owner–to make sure you get the result you need to recover from your injuries.
- Supporting you throughout the process – More than anything else, we take pride in our ability to support you. Usually, this revolves around the legal part of your case, making sure to keep you updated on how it progresses. But we also support you in other ways, mainly by making the process easier on you and your family. This support is at the heart of our service to you, the client.
Knowing what’s ahead of you is an extremely important part of the legal process, as it allows you to manage your expectations. Even with the law on your side, any dog bite or injury claim is going to be somewhat challenging.
Understanding the Legal Process
The first thing you need to understand about the legal process is that it’s going to differ from case to case. Still, the process is going to follow a general pattern for any dog bite injury claim. Here’s a closer look:
- Filing the claim – This is sort of obvious. It involves filing an insurance claim with the dog owner’s homeowner’s insurance carrier or filing a lawsuit in civil court naming the dog’s owner as the defendant. This officially begins the legal action.
- Discovery – Once the claim is filed, the discovery process will start. This is the formal process by which evidence is gathered and exchanged between you and the defendant. This discovery is the source of all the evidence that will be used to prove your claim, like your medical records, animal control reports, witness and deposition testimony, and similar documentation.
- Negotiation – Throughout your case, both sides will try to negotiate a settlement. The insurance company will try to use any excuse they can to pay you as little as possible, so it’s important that we’re able to provide updated medical records and other documentation to show your losses, as well as your actions up to, during, and after the actual bite.
- Resolution – Generally speaking, your case is going to resolve in one of two ways: with a settlement or with a trial. Prior to filing a lawsuit, it’s likely that the insurance company will offer you a settlement based off of your formal demand that we’ll help you with. Most of the time, though, this won’t cover the extent of your damages. If the case goes all the way to trial, a judge and jury will decide your case and your damages in a verdict.
Damages
As you might expect, the extent of your damages in a dog bite case can be very important. This is especially true with puncture wounds and avulsion injuries, which occur in nearly every dog bite claim. In a typical dog bite case, here’s the damages that are recoverable:
- Medical expenses and costs
- Ongoing treatment costs
- Scarring and disfigurement expenses
- Loss of enjoyment of life or companionship
- Emotional distress
- Pain and suffering
Remember, even with your ability to file an injury claim after a dog bite, you have to file within California’s statute of limitations. This deadline, currently, is two years from the date of the accident. Not filing within the statute of limitations means you aren’t able to recover these damages, even if you have a strong case.
Common Puncture Wound and Avulsion Injuries
Much like the legal process is going to differ from case to case, the type and severity of your injuries will differ from other dog bites. Again, though, one of the most common types of injuries in a dog bite involves puncture wounds and avulsions. So, in order to better understand how to approach these cases, it’s important to know what to expect in terms of these injuries:
- Deep puncture wounds – Dogs have sharp teeth that can cause deep puncture wounds. These injuries may damage underlying tissues, muscles, or even nerves and bones.
- Infections – Puncture wounds are prone to infection due to bacteria from the dog’s mouth entering the wound. These infections can cause serious health issues for you.
- Tendon or nerve damage – Depending on the location of the puncture, tendons or nerves may be affected, leading to complications in movement or sensation. Usually, it happens in your hands, arms, and legs since you will be trying to defend yourself from the dog.
- Skin tears – Avulsions often result in skin tearing away from the underlying tissue. This can lead to extensive bleeding and a higher risk of infection.
- Soft tissue damage – In severe cases, avulsions may cause the loss of significant amounts of soft tissue, requiring surgical intervention for reconstruction.
- Exposed muscles or bones – Avulsion injuries may expose muscles or bones, increasing the risk of complications and prolonging the healing process.
In the aftermath of a dog bite, no matter what the injury is, it’s important to get medical attention right away to address these injuries. Not only will this give you a baseline medical opinion, it can also head off any potential infection or further injury. More to the point, this is a vital step to protecting not just your health, but your legal options.
Experience and Support From California Dog Bite Lawyers
Dog bites, though unfortunate, are a part of living with these animals. The impact of these incidents, both physically and emotionally, can be significant. Our devoted team of California dog bite lawyers at Maison Law is here to explain your legal options after such accidents. We are committed to offering support during this tough time. Contact us today for a free consultation to start the process.
