California Personal Injury Dog Bite Settlement Calculator Guide
Dog bite injuries can significantly affect your life. So, if you're considering filing a claim for your injuries, you should ensure you get compensated for all your losses.
Remember, personal injury claims (like the dog bite compensation in California) are meant to hold a liable party accountable for damages caused by their negligence. In a dog bite settlement in California, the negligent owner is compelled to pay for economic and non-economic losses suffered by the victim.
Let's look at how dog bite settlement is reviewed and calculated, as experienced by a prescreened California dog bite lawyer.
How Much Can I Get For A Dog Bite Lawsuit In California?
Remember, the goal of California Dog Bite Settlements is to help victims recover to a point before they experience their injuries. This means compensating for all the expenses and emotional challenges they must endure because of the dog bite.
A dog bite lawyer in Los Angeles will consider the following factors in a California dog bite case:
1. Medical Costs
Your medical expenses include but are not limited to the following:
Hospital bills
Ambulance fees
Doctor's fees
Medication
Rehab and therapy
Surgeries
Medical equipment or aid (i.e., wheelchairs, crutches, etc.)
Do note that this also includes future expenses. So, if you have to go through regular therapy or are suffering from life-altering catastrophic injuries, those will also be calculated. On the other hand, you can still get compensation for a minor dog bite settlement, although it'll be worth less than the previous example.
2. Emotional Distress
Getting into an accident is a stressful affair. Not only do you have to deal with physical pain, but you might also have to worry about your expenses and difficulties with your health and well-being. Hence, you can file for emotional damages in California dog bite settlements.
Again, this is relative to the severity of your injuries and emotional distress. If you suffer from catastrophic injuries, you are more likely to get more emotional distress.
However, unlike economic damages, emotional distress is much harder to prove. After all, there are no receipts or documents to show the intangible losses you incur. Hence, consulting with a dog bite lawyer in California is crucial to help you build a solid claim.
3. Lost Income
Going to a hospital and getting treated for your injuries means you cannot go to work or gain income. This is also considered an economic loss and can be recovered by showing proof like documents, pay slips, receipts, etc.
If your injury causes disability and permanently reduces your capacity to do work (in the same position or earning level), your defendant will compensate for future losses. Your dog bite lawyer in Los Angeles can consult experts like economists and accountants to calculate these potential losses.
4. Property Damage
If any of your belongings were destroyed during the incident, it counts as property damage. This could include your phone, gadgets, bike, etc.
Again, these will need proof in the form of receipts. If you don't have them, your dog bite injury lawyer can check for the original retail prices for all property lost.
What Are The Relevant Laws And Policies On California Dog Bite Settlements?
California does not have regulations that limit a dog owner's liability for dog bite injuries to situations where the dog has a history of aggression. Instead, California has a strict liability dog bite statute that immediately makes dog owners accountable for injuries to another person, even if the dog has never bitten anybody before.
In California, dog owners are responsible for damages if a dog bit the victim while the victim was on private property or legally on public property at the time of the bite.
The negligence rules of California apply to injuries caused by the dog, not just the bite. Therefore, injuries brought on by police or military dogs while performing their duties are exempt from California's dog bite laws.
This means that the dog bite victim must have been lawfully on private land if they were bitten while on their property, on someone else's property as a guest, or while engaged in a legally permitted activity, such as delivering packages.
Find The Best California Dog Bite Lawyer ASAP!
Don't wait to speak with a dog bite lawyer in California about your case since, under California dog bite law, there is a two-year statute of limitations on bringing a lawsuit over dog bite injuries.
1000Attorneys offers free case reviews and a referral to a prescreened dog bite lawyer in California who is most fit to handle your unique claims.
