What You Should Know About Animal Attacks and the Law

Animal attack victims should know there is a law that allows them to file monetary claims against the liable individual or parties. To make sure that the victims will be rightfully compensated, it is very important that they should seek a legal help from a lawyer who specializes in such cases.

The main person who is liable for the animal attack incident is often the pet owners. This means that when a pet animal attacks someone, the owner is automatically liable and should provide monetary compensation to cover for the medical and hospital needs of the victims. Meanwhile, claims will not just only be based on the physical injuries sustained by the victims, but also from mental and emotional distress caused by the animal attack.
According to the law, pet owners should be responsible enough as a custodian of such creatures. With this, they should safely keep their pet animals (either domesticated or wild) away from other individuals.

Section 3342 of the California Civil code states that:
"The owner of any dog is liable for the damages suffered by any person who is bitten by the dog while in a public place or lawfully in a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog, regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owner's knowledge of such viciousness. A person is lawfully upon the private property of such owner within the meaning of this section when he is on such property in the performance of any duty imposed upon him by the laws of this state or by the laws or postal regulations of the United States, or when he is on such property upon the invitation, express or implied, of the owner."

For people who were attacked by animals, they can receive compensation for damages only when:

• They are not guilty of provoking the animal which led to the attack.
• The attack should have resulted to any kind of physical injury.
• The victim did not illegally enter the premises of the pet owner's house.
Because animal attacks may sometimes appear hard to prove during the litigation, it is very important to hire an attorney who has a background on animal aggression and attacks. Meanwhile, there are many Los Angeles Animal Attack Attorneys who can help people in these cases.

Here are some tips for victims of animal attacks

Victims or relatives should hire animal attack settlement lawyer who will negotiate with the pet owner and will present all the medical expenses and loss of potential earnings which should be reimbursed by the liable parties or individual. In case that the owner refuses to provide monetary compensation for the damages and denies any responsibility, the lawyer will file a case before a court. Meanwhile, both parties can resume their settlement negotiation even if the case has already been filed. But since the case has been presented in the court, the agreement between the two parties should be approved by this legal entity.


To help you with personal injury issues such as animal attack and other related concerns, consult with our skilled Los Angeles animal attack attorneys. Visit our website and avail of our free case analysis.