Even though laws against owners of dangerous dogs in California have gotten tough in recent years, the number of dog bites against children in Riverside keeps rising.
Fact: every year, more than 4.5 million Americans get bitten by dogs; over half of these people are children.
The statistic is shocking and should definitely make you think twice before allowing your child to pat dogs, even small breeds and dogs walking on a leash, on the streets of Riverside.
Fact #2: Of those over 4.5 million U.S. citizens bitten by digs, nearly 900,000 require hospitalization.
You may love dogs with your whole heart – we all do – but the importance of keeping your child away from dogs at all costs should never be ignored, our Riverside dog bite attorney Howard Craig Kornberg warns.
Although the reasons why dogs bite children vary from one case to another, in most cases, dogs bite children where they wouldn’t normally bite adults, as children are about the same size as them.
Typically, dogs can be intimidated by the size of an adult, which is why children are at a greater risk of suffering dog bites. Since a dog’s head is usually placed on the same level as the child’s face, dog attacks most commonly result in severe and catastrophic facial injuries.
Children can suffer permanent damage and injuries in dog bites
Although only a small number of those attacked by dogs die as a result of dog bites (up to 20 fatalities per year), the consequences of dog bites can be nonetheless devastating and even permanent.
Fact: California has the highest number of dog bite claims, with nearly $15 million paid by insurance companies to cover damages in dog attacks in the state every year.
Our dog bite attorneys at Law Offices of Howard Kornberg estimate that the average insurance claim relating to dog bites totals $30,000.
Since a child’s face is at a larger risk of getting bitten by a dog, injuries to the face are the most severe as they can leave behind terrible scarring and disfigurement. Treating facial scars and disfigurement may require multiple surgeries to minimize the visible damages, and in many cases, scars and facial injuries are permanent.
As you can imagine, plastic surgeries can total hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills, which is why holding the owner of the dog that bit your child liable is imperative to seek compensation for your damages, both economic and non-economic.
Most common dog bite injuries in children
Our Riverside dog bite attorneys also outline other common injuries suffered by children in dog bites:
- Head injury from being knocked down
- Injuries to arms, legs, and hands when the child is trying to defend himself/herself
- Infection and rabies
- Disfiguring scars
- Tearing or lacerations
- Punctures or teeth wounds;
- Life-long psychological damage such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD
- Nerve, ligament, and tendon injuries.
As we’ve established, dogs can be quite unpredictable, which is why it’s vital to keep your child away from dogs at all times. Our best dog bite attorneys in Riverside say that holding dog owners liable for injuries is easier in California than in other states, as here, the owner of the dog may be held liable even if he or she can prove that the dog had no prior history of aggression or dog attacks.
Many dog owners refuse to cooperate and compensate victims of their dog attacks for their injuries and damages, which is why seeking the legal advice of an experienced dog bite attorney is paramount to achieving success and monetary recovery.
Seek economic and non-economic recovery for your or your child’s injuries and damages by consulting our dog bite attorneys about your particular case. Call our Riverside offices at 310-997-0904 or fill out this contact form for a free case evaluation.
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