Sacramento Dog Bite Injury | Sacramento Animal Attack Injury

Over the years, The Kreeger Law Firm has successfully represented hundreds of dog attack victims. Dog owners, and in some cases property owners and landlords, are strictly liable for injuries caused by their animals. This means that these individuals are responsible for the actions of their animals without the need to establish negligence.

In the United States, California has the highest occurences of dog bites, animal attacks and fatal animal attacks. Statistics show that every year insurance companies settle over 1 billion in claims related to dog and other animal attacks. Homeowners' insurance policies paid over one-third of all settlements and judgments caused by these animal attacks. The national statistics for dog bites are startling.

The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Humane Society of the United States recently updated data on fatal dog bites for the period 1989 to 1994. In the 6-year study published in the medical journal PEDIATRICS (Vol.97 No. 6, 891-5), Jeffrey J. Sacks, M.D. and associates reported the finding of 109 bite-related fatalities. They found that 57% of the deaths were in children under 10 years of age. 22% of the deaths involved an unrestrained dog OFF the owner's property. 18% of the deaths involved a restrained dog ON the owner's property, and 59% of the deaths involved an unrestrained dog ON the owner's property. The researchers also found that 10% of the dog bite attacks involved sleeping infants. The most commonly reported dog breeds involved were pit bulls (24 deaths), followed by rottweilers (16 deaths), and German shepherds (10 deaths). The authors point out that many breeds, however, are involved in the problem. The death rate from dog bite-related fatalities (18 deaths per year) in the 6-year study period remained relatively constant compared with the prior 10 years.

Dog bite injuries can lead to serious infections (such as tetanus and rabies), disability, deformity, and occasionally death. Most of these injuries are preventable. Parents should teach children basic safety around dogs and review the following ideas regularly.

• Never approach an unfamiliar dog.
• Never play with a dog unless supervised by an adult.
• Immediately report stray dogs or dogs displaying unusual behavior to an adult.
• Never run from a dog and scream.
• Avoid direct eye contact with a dog.
• Don't disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating, or caring for puppies.
• Don't pet a dog without letting it see and sniff you first.
• Remain motionless when approached by an unfamiliar dog.
• If knocked over by a dog, lie still and remain in a ball.
• If bitten, report the bite to an adult immediately

STRICT LIABILITY FOR ANIMAL ATTACKS
Under California law, as noted above, the animal's owner is strictly responsible for all damages caused by their animal. This means that the victim does not need to prove a dog was known to be vicious or had a propensity to bite. One bite is enough to attach liability to the dog owner, or the owner of the property where the animal is kept.

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