Sacramento Law Firm Helps Victims of Dog Bites and Animal Attacks

California attorneys seek compensation for injured clients statewide

Dog bites and animals attacks can result in serious injuries. In many instances, owners or persons responsible for the dog are liable for damages. If you suffer injury from a serious dog bite or animal attack, find out about your rights to compensation. Our experienced lawyers at Mastagni Holstedt, APC can evaluate your case. Clients benefit from our firm’s decades of legal experience.

California dog bite law

Under California law, owners — along with anyone charged with the responsibility of caring for a dog — are responsible to see that the dog does not bite and cause anyone personal injury. To win a dog bite case in Sacramento and elsewhere in California, courts do not require plaintiffs to prove that the dog had a previous biting history or that the owner knew about the dog’s propensity to bite. However, dog owners do not owe a responsibility to protect trespassers against dog bites. Also, military or police dogs that bite while performing their duties are not subject to liability.

Dog breeds most prone to bite

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studied fatal dog bite attacks over a 20-year period from 1979 to 1998. Their study revealed that more than 50 percent of the deaths were caused by pit bull-type dogs and Rottweilers. However, these are not the only types of breeds that bite. Other breeds that the study indicated were involved in fatal dog bite cases were German Shepherds, Husky-type dogs, malamutes, Doberman Pinschers, Chow Chows, Great Danes and Saint Bernards. In many cases, there was no report of a breed type and dogs of mixed breeds made assigning a breed difficult.

Other types of animal attacks

Other domestic animals also can attack people, such as cats, horses, farm animals and even more exotic pets, such as snakes, monkeys, or ferrets. An incident occurred several years ago when a pet chimpanzee attacked a guest in the house and caused severe injury. Whether a dog bite or animal attack is subject to legal action generally depends on whether California’s negligence or liability laws apply.

Consult an experienced dog bite injury law firm serving Northern and Southern California

Our attorneys at Mastagni Holstedt, APC in Sacramento, Rancho Cucamonga and Pleasanton can evaluate your dog bite or animal attack incident and determine whether you have grounds to bring a lawsuit. Contact us online or call 877-212-6907 for a free consultation.