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The San Francisco attorneys at the Walston Legal
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injury and accident cases such as dog bites!
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misconduct such as assaults.
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We can help you recover money for damage to your
property, injuries to your body, and wrongful
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Our personal injury lawyers will aggressively
litigate your case, through trial if necessary,
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Home
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Injuries
& Accidents >> Animal Attacks
Attorney
Representation in San Francisco, California since
1989
SAN FRANCISCO INJURY ATTORNEY
Injuries
From Dogs and Other Animals
As
every San Francisco attorney knows, every year
thousands of Americans are bitten or injured by
animals -- most often dogs. In many cases, a person
bitten by an animal may have a legal right to
recover damages from the animal's owner or another
responsible party. If you or a loved one has been
attacked or injured by an animal contact a San
Francisco personal injury attorney at the Walston
Legal Group.
If
An Animal Bites You 
The
first thing you should do if you are bitten by
an animal is to seek medical attention immediately.
If you are not treated, an animal bite can cause
serious injury, infection, and even death if the
animal was diseased. Once you have been medically
evaluated, you should also consider consulting
a San Francisco personal injury lawyer with experience
in animal bite cases. An personal injury attorney
will be able to tell you whether you have a legal
claim, and what damages you may be able to recover.
Give
Details of the Injury to your Attorney
A
personal injury attorney will ask you for detailed
information about the circumstances surrounding
your animal bite. At a minimum, you should be
able to provide the name and phone number of the
animal's owner. If you don't have this information,
a neighbor or a witness might be able to provide
it to you. Also, if there were witnesses, you
should get their names and contact information
as well.
Owner
Liability for Dog/Animal Bites
As
any attorney will tell you, when deciding who
is responsible for an animal bite, the first thing
to determine is: who is the owner of the animal?
Some states impose what is known as "strict
liability" upon animal owners whose animals
bite or attack others. Under the theory of strict
liability, an owner is legally responsible ("liable")
for an animal bite, regardless of whether the
owner did anything wrong with respect to protecting
others from attack. Under this theory, even if
the owner had no reason to know that his or her
animal was dangerous, if the animal bit someone,
the owner would still be liable. In other states,
the owner of an animal can be held liable for
the injuries it inflicts, provided that the owner
knew (or had reason to know) that the animal had
"dangerous propensities." In attorney
lingo, if an animal owner knows that his or her
animal is dangerous and could cause injury to
a person, the animal owner can be held liable
for the animal's harmful actions.
Does
the Animal have Dangerous Tendancies?
Determining
whether an owner knew of an animal's "dangerous
propensities" can be difficult. The first
question that often arises in making this determination
is whether the owner needs to know of the particular
animal's potential for harm, or whether the owner
only needs to know that type of animal is potentially
harmful. For example, when a person has a pit
bull as a pet, does that mean the owner should
know the pet will be harmful, just because, in
general, pit bulls can be harmful?
Other
Potential Responsible Parties
Animal
owners are not the only people who can be held
responsible for animal bites. Here are a few common
scenarios where someone other than the animal's
owner could be held liable for an animal bite:
- Animal
Keepers:
Anyone who is responsible for the care or custody
of an animal may be considered an owner or keeper
and can be held responsible for an animal bite.
Examples include kennels, a pound, or an animal
sitter.
- Parents
of Minors: Even if a person under 18
years of age owns the animal at issue, in many
states an injured person can bring a legal claim
against the minor's parents, even if the parents
had no direct involvement with the animal.
- Property
Owners: A property owner can be liable
for injuries caused by an animal that the property
owner allowed onto his or her property.
- Landlords:
If an apartment landlord knew (or should
have known) that a tenant owned a dangerous
animal, the landlord may also be liable for
animal bite injuries.
What
Damages Can You Recover?
Depending
on the seriousness of injuries resulting from
an animal attack, you may be entitled to recover
for:
- Medical
expenses
-
Lost wages
- Pain
and suffering
- Property
damage.
In
some instances, your San Francisco attorney may
be able to help you recover punitive damages as
well, which are awarded to punish someone for
his or her behavior. In order for an attorney
to justify an award of punitive damages, the wrongdoer's
conduct usually must be more than negligent, such
as reckless or intentional conduct. For example,
if a dog owner knew his dog was very dangerous,
yet repeatedly allowed the dog to run free near
a school, and the dog eventually attacked a child,
a jury could conclude that punitive damages were
appropriate. For a free consultation about your
specific case, contact a San Francisco personal
injury attorney at the Walston Legal Group.
Steps
You Can Take Now
- Write
down as much as you can about the circumstances
of the attack, including your injuries, where
and from whom you received treatment, the names
and address of the dog’s owner, the person
who was responsible for the dog, and any witnesses.
- GET
A SAN FRANCISCO PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY!
You need all the help you can get, and you need
it as soon as possible. If you do not assert
your rights within the time set by law, you
will lose your ability to assert them at all.
The
personal injury attorneys at The Walston Legal
Group are focused on aggressively representing
our clients and quickly and cost-effectively obtaining
their goals.
Walston
Legal Group Practice Areas:
Criminal
law: including San
Francisco criminal attorney representation
for Drunk
Driving, DUI, DWI,
White Collar Crimes, Drug
Crimes, Computer
Crimes, Identity Theft. Violent
Crimes
Injuries
& Accidents: including San
Francisco attorney representation for Cars,
Trucks & Bike accidents, Wrongful
Death, Assault
& Battery, Premises
Liability, Animal Attacks, Medical
Malpractice, Dangerous
Products
Civil
Rights:
including attorney representation for
Constitutional Law, Police
Misconduct, Discrimination
Litigation
Defense: including San Francisco
attorney representation for Insurance
Defense,
Personal Injury, Premises
Liability, and Medical
Malpractice
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