One of the First issues a personal injury lawyer in California looks at in a dogbite case, is the amount of insurance available.
The responsibility for the dogbite may be very clear, but without adequate insurance there usually isn’t a good chance for recovery.
The primary source of insurance is usually the Homeowner’s Insurance of the owner of the dog. Usually, if someone owns a home, they will have Homeowner’s insurance.
The attorney must then obtain and inspect the Homeowners Insurance policy. Recently, some Homeowners policies have started excluding certain breeds of dog, or limited or eliminated coverage if the dog has bit someone before.
Some Homeowners policies exclude all dogbites!
Although pet sitters are typically covered, there may be additional exclusions for business activities.
What if the person who owns the dog is a renter?
In order to hold a renter responsible, the attorney must see if there is Renters Insurance that covers the injury. If there is no renters insurance, it may be possible to go after the Landlord if the Landlord had actual knowledge that the dog was a vicious one.
This requires quick and thorough investigation as soon as the injury occurs.
Sometimes, if a dogbite occurs in an automobile, it may be possible to obtain recovery from that source as well.
Most Homeowners policy have minimal medpay coverage that pays for certain medical bills up to a small limit and that source should also be investigated.
Finally, people can often protect themselves and their family if they shop carefully for a
personal umbrella policy. Some of these policies will provide coverage if the dog owner did not have insurance or was underinsured.
Dog bite injuries often involve the face in young children and later require extensive plastic surgery and psychological treatment.
If you need help finding who sells a personal umbrella policy that covers dog bite injuries, do no hesitate to call me.
I’m Ed Smith from AutoAccident.com and my firm handles serious dogbite cases throughout the state of California.