Have you or someone close to you suffered injuries in a Los Angeles dog-bite attack? Even a brief encounter can result in painful wounds, emotional distress, unexpected medical expenses, and uncertainty about who should pay for your losses. The effects may continue long after the attack, affecting your health, finances, work, and daily life.
Our Los Angeles dog bite attorneys can explain your legal options, handle communications with insurance companies, and pursue the compensation you may be entitled to recover. Contact HHJ Trial Attorneys today for a free consultation. You won’t pay attorney fees unless we obtain compensation for you.
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After a dog attack in Los Angeles, victims need clear information about their rights and legal options. If you or someone close to you was injured by another person’s dog, the HHJ Attorneys team is ready to stand up for you. We have recovered more than $10 million in compensatory damages for personal injury clients and provide compassionate, results-focused representation backed by Super Lawyers recognition and coverage in major media outlets.
Most dog bites are preventable. They often happen when a dog feels scared, threatened, protective, or overly excited. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health explains that many bites involve dogs the victim already knows rather than stray animals. Bites can also happen when someone misunderstands a dog’s behavior or approaches it while the dog feels fearful or stressed
California law generally makes a dog owner responsible when their dog bites someone in a public place or on private property where the person was allowed to be. This rule comes from California Civil Code § 3342.
The dog doesn’t need to have bitten anyone before. The victim doesn’t need to prove that the owner knew the dog was dangerous. This is different from the “one-bite rule” used in some states, where the victim may need to show that the owner knew, or should have known, the dog might hurt someone.
This law applies to dog bites. If a dog knocks someone down or causes an injury without biting, the victim may need to prove that the owner was careless.
A person may be lawfully on private property when they’re invited, visiting, working, delivering goods, providing services, or otherwise permitted to be there. The circumstances still matter if the owner argues that the person was trespassing, provoked the dog, or knew the dog could be dangerous.
Dogs may bite when they feel threatened, frightened, protective, or overwhelmed. Common situations include:
A dog may become aggressive when someone enters an area it considers its territory. This may include a yard, home, vehicle, crate, or the space immediately around its handler. Owners should take reasonable precautions when visitors, workers, delivery drivers, or children enter areas where the dog is present.
Some dogs guard food, toys, sleeping areas, or puppies. An owner who knows the dog displays this behavior should take precautions before allowing other people near it.
A sick or injured dog may bite when someone touches a painful area. The risk can increase when a child or visitor doesn’t know the dog is hurt and approaches without warning.
Sudden movements, loud noises, and unexpected contact can frighten a dog. The risk may be higher when the animal is sleeping, hiding, cornered, or poorly socialized.
High-energy play can lead to jumping, chasing, tugging, or wrestling. Even a bite that appears playful can puncture skin or cause a serious injury to the face, hand, or arm.
Dogs may feel vulnerable while sleeping or eating. Children are particularly at risk when they don’t recognize warning signs or understand that the animal needs space.
Dogs that haven’t been properly socialized may become anxious or overexcited around people, children, or other animals. Training can reduce the risk, but it doesn’t eliminate an owner’s responsibility for a qualifying bite.
Dog bites can cause punctures, crushing injuries, and torn tissue. The damage may range from a minor wound to permanent scarring, loss of movement, or psychological trauma.
Teeth can puncture the skin and damage the tissue underneath. Scars may remain visible for years, especially when the bite affects the face, neck, hands, or arms. Treatment may include plastic surgery, laser therapy, scar revision, or other procedures.
A dog’s teeth can force bacteria deep into the skin. Without prompt treatment, the wound may develop an infection or abscess. Medical care may include wound cleaning, antibiotics, stitches, tetanus treatment, or additional procedures.
Deep bites can damage nerves, tendons, muscles, or blood vessels. The resulting symptoms may include numbness, weakness, chronic pain, and limited movement. Hand injuries can interfere with work, personal care, and everyday activities.
A bite can fracture a bone directly. A victim may also break a bone after falling while trying to escape the animal. Treatment may involve immobilization, surgery, physical therapy, and time away from work.
A tissue avulsion occurs when skin or other tissue is forcefully torn from the body. These injuries may cause severe blood loss, disfigurement, and extensive medical treatment. Some victims require reconstructive surgery and long-term care.
A dog attack can cause fear, anxiety, panic attacks, nightmares, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Children may avoid dogs or places where animals are present. Counseling and other professional treatment can help document the psychological effects of the attack.
After a dog bite, get medical care, report the attack, identify the owner, and preserve evidence about the injury and the scene.
Call 911 for a serious emergency or go to an emergency room or urgent-care facility. Even a small wound should be evaluated for infection, nerve damage, tendon injuries, and possible rabies exposure. Medical records also help connect your treatment to the dog bite.
If it’s safe, obtain the owner’s name, address, telephone number, insurance information, and the dog’s vaccination records. Don’t argue with the owner or attempt to handle the animal. Your safety comes first.
Report the incident to the appropriate Los Angeles animal-control agency and public-health authorities. Officials may investigate the attack, review vaccination records, locate the dog, and determine whether quarantine is required. Be sure to keep copies of the report, case number, and communications with the agency.
Collect witness contact information when possible. Keep medical bills, treatment records, prescriptions, work records, and a journal describing your pain and limitations.
Take photographs of:
The dog owner’s insurer may request a recorded statement or offer a quick settlement. Before agreeing to a statement or signing a release, consider speaking with a dog-bite lawyer. An early settlement may not account for future treatment, permanent scarring, lost income, or emotional trauma.
A Los Angeles dog bite attorney can investigate the attack, identify potentially responsible parties, evaluate your damages, and communicate with insurers. Early legal guidance may also help preserve surveillance footage, animal-control records, witness accounts, and other evidence.
The dog owner is usually the primary responsible party under California’s strict-liability law. Depending on the circumstances, a pet sitter, dog walker, landlord, business, or property owner may also face a negligence or premises-liability claim.
The owner may be responsible if the dog bites someone in a public place or on private property where the person was allowed to be. The owner can still be responsible even if they didn’t know the dog had a history of biting or acting aggressively.
A pet sitter may be negligent if they fail to control the dog, leave a gate open, or allow the animal to roam freely. The sitter’s duties depend on the agreement with the owner and the circumstances of the attack.
A dog walker must use reasonable care while controlling an animal in public. Potential issues may include violating leash rules, handling more dogs than they can safely manage, or ignoring clear signs of aggression.
A landlord isn’t automatically responsible for a tenant’s dog. The landlord may be responsible if they knew the dog was dangerous, had control over the property, and could have taken steps to prevent the attack.
A business or property owner may also be responsible if something on the property helped cause the attack. For example, a gate may have been broken, security may have been poor, or the owner may have ignored earlier complaints about the dog.
You may seek compensation for financial losses and the physical and emotional harm caused by the attack. The value of a claim depends on the injury, treatment, recovery time, and long-term effect on your life.
Economic damages cover the money you lose because of a dog bite. They can include:
Your claim may also include the future cost of medical care and other losses caused by the attack. Keep your bills, receipts, pay records, and other documents that show what you had to pay or what income you lost.
Some losses don’t come with a bill or receipt. A dog bite can cause pain, fear, anxiety, depression, PTSD, scars, and other lasting problems.
You may be able to seek compensation for:
These losses can continue after the wound has healed. Medical records, counseling records, photographs, and statements from family members may help show how the attack has affected you.
Punitive damages are available only in limited cases involving oppression, fraud, or malice. They’re intended to punish especially wrongful conduct and deter similar behavior, rather than compensate for a specific medical bill or financial loss.
Punitive damages aren’t available in every dog-bite claim. The evidence must support the legal standard required under California law.
The deadline for a California dog-bite injury lawsuit is generally two years from the date of the attack under California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1. If you miss the deadline, a court may dismiss the case regardless of the seriousness of the injury. Exceptions may apply, so don’t wait to investigate your legal options.
A child’s claim may involve different filing rules or tolling provisions. Parents shouldn’t assume that the ordinary two-year deadline applies without obtaining legal advice.
A dog bite involving a city, county, public property, or government employee may be subject to special administrative deadlines. A government claim may need to be presented within six months. These cases require prompt investigation.
A property-damage claim may have a different deadline from a personal-injury claim. Preserve damaged clothing, jewelry, and other property, and keep receipts or repair estimates.
Special rules may apply when a police or military dog causes an injury during law-enforcement activity. The circumstances of the encounter, the victim’s conduct, and the officer’s actions can affect whether a claim is available.
HHJ Trial Attorneys represents dog-bite victims in Los Angeles and throughout Southern California. We investigate the attack, gather evidence, handle insurance companies, and pursue compensation for your injuries and losses.
Our team can help with:
You may still have a claim if you contributed to the incident. California follows a pure comparative-fault system, so your percentage of responsibility may reduce compensation. The evidence may include whether you provoked the dog, entered property without permission, or ignored a clear warning.
No. California generally doesn’t follow a traditional one-bite rule. Under Civil Code § 3342, an owner may be strictly liable for a qualifying bite even if the dog had never bitten anyone before.
Not usually. Many dog-bite claims are handled through homeowners or renters insurance, although coverage depends on the policy and the facts. A claim may seek payment from available insurance rather than the owner’s personal savings.
Yes. Fear, anxiety, nightmares, panic attacks, and post-traumatic stress may form part of a dog-bite claim. Medical records, counseling records, personal journals, and testimony from family members may help document these effects.
The owner may argue that the victim provoked the animal. Whether that defense applies depends on the evidence and the circumstances of the encounter. Witness accounts, photographs, video, animal-control records, and medical documentation may all matter.
Not every claim requires a lawsuit. Even a small wound can develop into an infection, scar, nerve injury, or psychological condition. A lawyer can help evaluate the potential claim before you sign a release or accept an insurance settlement.
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From our offices across Southern California, HHJ Trial Attorneys represents clients throughout San Diego County and statewide in a wide range of personal injury cases. Whether you were injured in San Diego, Carlsbad, Escondido, Los Angeles, or Temecula, our award-winning trial lawyers provide clear communication, compassionate guidance, and results-driven representation from start to finish.
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