If a dog bit you in California, the owner is strictly liable for your injuries under Civ. Code § 3342 - you do not have to prove the owner knew the dog was dangerous. You generally have two years to file under CCP § 335.1. Devoted Injury Lawyers handles California dog-bite cases statewide. No fee unless we win.
Dog-bite cases hinge on early documentation - animal-control reports, the owner's identity and insurance, and a clear medical record of the injuries. These seven steps protect both your health and your case.
Dog bites carry serious infection risk (capnocytophaga, MRSA, pasteurella). Go to the ER or urgent care, even if the wound looks minor. Document each visit.
Multiple angles, with a ruler or coin for scale. Re-photograph at days 2, 7, 14, 30 - scarring evolves over months.
Insurance information is the single most important fact to capture. If the owner won't share it, write down each detail: dog's breed, license tag, and the address where it happened.
California law requires medical providers to report animal bites. File your own report too - most county animal-control agencies require it within 24 hours. This locks in the official record.
Any neighbor, pedestrian, or delivery driver who saw what happened. Names and phone numbers on day one are worth more than expert testimony months later.
A release signed in the first week of a dog-bite case can foreclose the entire claim. If the owner offers cash 'to make it go away,' decline politely and call a lawyer.
Free, 24/7. We send a written claim letter to the homeowner's insurer, request the animal-control file, and start preserving the evidence we'll need.
California's Civ. Code § 3342 does not require you to prove the owner knew the dog was dangerous. The owner - and their insurer - is responsible. Talk to a Devoted attorney first; the consultation is free.
California organizes damages into two categories. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Past results disclaimer. Prior results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict a similar outcome in your case.
Coastal North County - Oceanside, Carlsbad, Vista, Encinitas - has some of the highest dog-ownership rates in California. That means more dogs, more bites, and more cases. We work with San Diego County Animal Services and the city animal-control agencies regularly. Bite reports are filed under CDPH rabies surveillance protocols, which is where the official record of a bite lives.
If your bite happened anywhere in California - coast to inland, urban to rural - we can take the case.
Talk to a California dog-bite attorney today.
Call (888) 760-2529 or send the form. A licensed California attorney calls back, usually within the hour.
We send the claim letter, request the animal-control file, gather medical records, and shoulder each call.
See your plastic surgeon, mental-health provider, and primary care. We document the case as it builds.
Names withheld for privacy, facts preserved for transparency. Each case is unique - yours included.
Walking his French bulldog in the morning, our client was suddenly attacked by a Cane Corso. He sustained multiple injuries, including bite wounds to his thigh, a chipped tooth, forehead abrasions, and a back injury.
Read the case study→A high school student sustained serious injuries requiring arm surgery after being involved in a rollover accident as a passenger. The incident occurred while exiting Interstate 5.
Read the case study→During an evening bike ride in Twentynine Palms, a father was struck by a distracted driver who ran a stop sign, leaving him with multiple fractures and requiring several surgeries.
Read the case study→Past results disclaimer. Prior results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict a similar outcome in your case. Each case is different and depends on its unique facts, the applicable law, and the available insurance coverage.
We work on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing upfront, and we only get paid if we win your case.
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