Northern California Dog Bite Lawyers

Representing victims of serious injury throughout the West since 1967, the legal firm of Barr and Mudford is headquartered in Redding, California, and serves clients throughout the entire Northern California region, including Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Do I need a dog bite or animal injury attorney?

There’s no question about it – dogs enrich our lives and are often important members of the family. Unfortunately they can also inflict harm, and serious injuries from dog bites are all too common in the United States.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimate that nearly 4.5 million people in this country are bitten by dogs each year, and half of these victims are children. In 2012, more than 27,000 people required reconstructive surgery due to dog bite injuries.

California dog owners must be especially vigilant in preventing their dogs from biting or attacking others. The state’s strict dog bite statute makes dog owners responsible for any injuries inflicted on another person while that person is on public property or legally on private property. The statute eliminates the “one-free bite” rule and holds the dog’s owner liable even though the dog has never bitten or attacked anyone before nor has shown a tendency to do so. See Limiting Liability of Dog Ownership.

Dog owners who fail to keep dogs under control or take the proper precautions to help prevent attacks – letting their dogs run loose in the neighborhood, for example – can be held liable for damages to persons or property. A keeper or someone other than the dog’s owner may be held negligent but not liable if the dog in their care attacks a person, unless he or she had prior knowledge of the dog’s tendency for viciousness.

A personal injury attorney can help

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious dog bite injury or has been involved in an animal attack of any kind where serious injury has occurred, Redding personal injury attorneys Barr and Mudford can help you understand your rights and recover the compensation you may be entitled to under the law.

For a free consultation, call us at 530 243 8008 or 800 528 2020 and let’s talk about your case, or, if you prefer, contact us by email with the details and we’ll get back to you right away.