Quirk Accident & Injury Attorneys, APC, is committed to protecting children and their families after a devastating dog bite incident. Our Thousand Oaks lawyers offer a free case consultation to dog bite victims and the parents of victims across Ventura County. Contact our office to schedule a confidential case review as soon as possible. You are under no obligation for this meeting. It’s an easy way to determine what a bite injury may be worth and how to ensure your children get the support they need during recovery.
Child Dog Bite Accident Dangers in Thousand Oaks
Thousand Oaks is a dog-friendly city, and you can probably find a pet in every other home and yard in your neighborhood. Most people take good care of their dogs, but sometimes dog owners get careless and allow their pets to get into situations where they are confused or feel threatened. This negligence can lead to scary dog bite incidents.
The risks are especially high for children who are closer to the ground and within easier reach of an attacking dog. Their young bodies can suffer much more damage in the grip of a dog’s jaw than an adult victim. And those injuries might have much more long-lasting effects as the child grows.
Children might be bitten at a park when a dog on a leash is allowed to close. They may be hurt by a dog that’s escaped a fence in disrepair. They could be bitten while at a birthday party at a relative’s home. In most cases, the dog owner can be legally liable and would need to provide support to give the child the best chance to fully recover.
If your child suffers a serious dog bite wound, speak to a Thousand Oaks dog bite lawyer before talking to any insurance adjuster representing a dog owner. You need to know about every benefit available to your child before an insurance company tries to limit the support you receive. Your child may also need to be shielded from ridiculous accusations that they could be responsible for causing a dog to bite.
Common Injuries for Children After a Dog Bite
Young children are going to be much shorter than adult dog victims. That leaves almost every part of their bodies and even internal organs within reach of a lunging dog.
Their heads, arms, and legs are all within range of those teeth and children can even be dragged by a large dog, causing additional tears and soft tissue damage.
These are just a few of the most common child dog bite injuries that Thousand Oaks paramedics and emergency room doctors treat:
- Fractured bones
- Crush injuries
- Deep puncture wounds and infections
- Ligament, tendon, and muscle tears
- Facial injuries and disfigurement
- Organ damage from puncture wounds
- Neck, throat, and head injuries
- Hand, wrist, and ankle injuries
Additional Support for Children Injured in Dog Bite Incidents
Sadly, the treatment of these and other severe injuries may not be the end of a difficult period for a child victim. Young dog bite victims are always at risk of seeing further complications as they grow and mature.
As their bodies continue to develop into their teen years, an old dog bite wound or broken bone can create trouble again. Doctors may find that additional surgeries and physical therapy are immediately necessary to make sure the child’s bones and muscles are allowed to grow normally into adulthood.
Your dog bite lawyer would be asking for support for these potential medical needs now, so the child never has to wait on care that’s needed in the future. Once a dog bite settlement offer is signed, parents can’t go back later to ask for more compensation when an injury flares up. That’s why a skilled Thousand Oaks attorney will be demanding full support now and for the years ahead.
Who Is Responsible for a Dog Bite on a Child?
California is a “strict liability” dog bite state. Some states don’t hold dog owners responsible for dog bites if it’s the dog’s first bite incident. But in California, dog owners are liable for bite wounds even if a dog has never shown aggression.
Parents of a child dog bite victim could sue a dog owner for a dog bite as long as the child wasn’t…
- Trespassing at the time of the bite.
- Provoking the dog.
But with young children, these exceptions may not fully protect the dog owner from responsibility. Children up to a certain age aren’t considered to have the mental capacity to make the safest decisions for themselves. If a dog owner keeps a dangerous dog in a spot where a curious child can easily get near it, the dog owner may still face liability, even if the dog is on private property. A child that innocently tries to pet a nearby dog, shouldn’t be accused of provoking it.
Your dog bite lawyer fully investigates your child’s accident and the dog owner. A dog bite lawyer would file a claim against the dog owner’s home insurance policy or renter’s insurance and back it with strong evidence so the insurance adjuster couldn’t find reasons to discount or reject your case.
Compensation Available for Child Dog Bite Victims
Child dog bite victims will need every benefit available to pay for the best medical care possible and to be able to handle unforeseen consequences in the years to come.
Your Thousand Oaks personal injury lawyer makes sure every current hardship the young patient and the family have endured is listed in an injury claim. Those potential future hardships must also be included. Any damage left off the claim is something the insurance company can ignore, often leaving it as the financial responsibility of the family. That should never happen.
Your lawyer will make sure a settlement check accounts for everything the young victim has endured.
- Past medical invoices and those expected in the future.
- Long-term support for any permanent disability. Money to pay for restorative surgery if a scar or a disfigurement is left behind.
- Additional support for the child in case future medical care is needed to protect their ability to grow and develop without complications from an old dog bite wound.
- Support for the physical pain suffered.
- Support for the emotional trauma children are left with after a horrifying attack. Money to pay for trauma therapy if they develop a debilitating fear of dogs or suffer from PTSD symptoms.
- Money to pay for transportation to medical appointments and travel costs to see out-of-town specialists.
Contact a Thousand Oaks Dog Bite Lawyer
It’s the responsibility of the dog owner to keep their pets out of situations that could end in a bite incident. Sadly, not all dog owners take the care that’s needed to protect children from such a common and frightening threat. Our dog bite lawyers are advocates for child safety and we want to compassionately represent young victims so they have what they need to get back to being free and fun-loving kids again.
Schedule a free case review with Quirk Accident & Injury Attorneys, APC. It’s a risk-free way to determine the level of support you should demand for your child and how to hold a dog owner fully accountable. There’s no obligation, but if you feel we can help earn more in support for your family, you won’t need to bring any money with you. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for your family. Then our fee comes out of the settlement award you receive.