Glendale Dog Bite Lawyer

California does not use the one-bite rule. Section 3342 imposes liability on the owner for the damages a bite causes, whether the bite happened on a Brand Boulevard sidewalk, in a neighborhood park, or in the owner's own yard, so long as the person bitten was in a public place or lawfully on private property.

The usual defenses are provocation and trespass. What an insurer calls provocation is often nothing of the kind — reaching to pet a dog you were invited to greet is not provocation — and children are held to a child's standard of care. These arguments are resolved on the facts, which is why the early evidence matters.

A bite report does two jobs: it documents the injury, and it starts the quarantine that identifies the dog and confirms its vaccination history. In Glendale, animal control runs through Pasadena Humane, which serves the city under contract; the Glendale Police take the report where the injury is serious or a crime may be involved.

Get the incident number from whichever agency takes the report. Photograph the wounds before they close, keep the clothing you were wearing, and get medical care — Adventist Health Glendale, 1509 Wilson Terrace, is the city's emergency hospital — because puncture wounds infect readily and the record of that treatment is part of the claim.

Most dog bite claims are paid by the owner's homeowner's or renter's liability policy. If the dog's owner is a landlord, a business, or a dog-walker acting for someone else, more than one policy may apply, and figuring out which is part of the work.

Scarring and the treatment to reduce it, lost income, and the care needed after the wound closes are all recoverable damages. The insurer's first offer rarely accounts for any of them, which is why the medical record — not the adjuster's estimate — should drive the number.