One of the benefits of California’s warm climate is that it allows Californians to be physically active outdoors year-round. While this is one of many upsides to California life, one of the downsides of outdoor fitness is dog bite injuries. Recently, the greater Los Angeles area was named the “dog bite capital of the nation,” according to U.S. Postal Service statistics. Given the prevalence of dogs and dog bites in California, it’s important to know who’s liable and what kinds of recovery you can get if you are attacked by a dog.
Q: Who is responsible when a former police dog bites?
Police officers protect and serve, and canine (“K-9”) officers are no exception. Trained to be vicious in taking down and apprehending suspects, biting is part of a canine officer’s job description.
Unfortunately, you apparently can’t teach old dogs new tricks.
Are police dogs more likely to be responsible for a dog bite injury when off-duty or retired from police service?
A new Grover Beach police officer had previously trained and patrolled with a Belgian Malinois police dog named “Neo” while on his previous assignment at the Exeter Police Department.
Who is liable in dog bite injuries?
The aftermath of a dog bite can often be very painful for the victim, and quite costly for the dog’s owner. The Insurance Information Institute estimates at least 33 percent of homeowner insurance claims stem from dog bites, which has amounted to 15,000 to 16,000 claims per year over the past decade.
New information published in the fall of last year reveals emergency room visits for serious dog bites in California are up by 44 percent in the last 10 years.
Q: What damages can I recover for dog bite injuries?
“Man’s best friend”, they say. Many families across America enjoy the fun and companionship of dogs and consider them to be more than just pets—they are part of the family. In so many ways, life can be so much better with a dog.
But many people tend to ignore or downplay the ugly truth that on rare occasions and without any provocation or apparent reason, dogs– of all breeds– can turn vicious in an instant.
Q: What animal is responsible for the most Emergency Room animal–bite visits?
Beware of dog.
While people visit emergency rooms for a wide array of illnesses or for injuries from any number of different accidents, one type of personal injury has been flagged as rising in frequency, especially in California: the dog bite.
Over the past 11 years, California has seen an alarming increase in the number of dog bite injuries according to data from Emergency Department records.
