Making an Official Report After a California Dog Bite
If you are one of the 4.7 million dog bite victims each year in the United States, you know firsthand that suffering a bite is painful and traumatic no matter how it occurs. Once you’re bitten in California, it’s important you take a few simple steps to ensure you look after your health and protect your rights to compensation in future legal action. However, many people may not realize the importance of creating an official report of the bite.
Why Create an Official Report?
It’s important you report any dog bite to the local California animal control office as soon as possible. You may not want to file an official report because you know and like its owner, or you may be worried about what happens to the dog after you report a bite. However, it will help the appropriate authorities enforce any dog bite laws in the jurisdiction. The report may help to avoid future attacks – it is possible the dog that bit you may bite again if preventative measures are not taken and awareness raised. In other cases, the investigation after a bite may reveal the dog has been abused, neglected, or in dangerous living conditions and in need of rescue from the home.
Reporting the bite is recommended to strengthen your legal case against the dog’s owner. It’s also necessary to do so if you want to file either an insurance claim with the owner’s homeowners or renter’s insurance company. It also helps you get important details about the vaccination records and behavioral history of the dog for purposes of treating your physical injuries and determining the need for rabies testing.
What Happens After I Notify Animal Control?
Once a bite is reported to animal control, an investigation begins to determine if the dog is dangerous. During the investigation, animal control has the authority to conduct an interview, hold hearings, and issue subpoenas to determine what happened. If so, the agency may require its owner to take measures to protect the public from the dog. In an extreme case, if the dog is found to be particularly vicious, euthanizing it may necessary. An owner who does not comply may be fined or even criminally charged.
Contact a California Lawyer About Your Dog Bite Injuries
If you or a loved one were injured by a dog bite, it’s important to take care of yourself, take steps to strengthen your claim for compensation and report the incident to protect the public. To make sure someone is looking out for your best interests, contact the skilled California dog bite attorneys at Daneshrad Law today. Attorney Alan Daneshrad has spent years providing compassionate, comprehensive representation for dog bite victims to help them recover for their injuries. Nothing will undo the trauma of the bite, but it’s important someone fights for you to get the compensation you deserve. The attorneys at Daneshrad Law have the knowledge, skill, and resources to make that outcome a reality. Call us toll-free at (888) 881-3529 to schedule a no-obligation, risk-free initial case review today. The consultation is free, and you pay nothing until we win your case. Let us review the facts of your California dog bite and give you peace of mind so you can focus on recovering.
(*For Informational purposes only. Not intended as legal advice)
