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Dog Bites Affect Home Insurance Costs
June 26, 2008

It really is a dog's world in the insurance business. According to a new report by the Insurance Information Institute, dogs are biting a large chunk out of homeowner's insurance costs. In 2007 alone, dog bite claims were filed totaling more than $356 million. This was an increase of more than 15 percent over the previous year's figures.

According to the report, more than 4.7 million people suffer dog bites every year, and of these, 800,000 have injuries that are serious enough to warrant a hospital visit. More than half of these dog attacks occur on the owners' property, exposing the owner to liability claims. It's a figure that's beginning to worry many insurers, as the size of dog bite liability claims gets bigger. It's not that the numbers of dog bite attacks have increased; rather the cost per claim has risen exponentially with the increase in medical care costs, as well as greater jury awards that have risen above average in recent years.

As a dog owner, you might be held liable for a dog bite by your pet in any one of the following circumstances - if you knew your dog had a tendency to cause severe injury, if the injury was caused due to your negligence or if the state you live in, such as California, has a strict liability statute.

Most homeowner and renters insurance policies cover dog attacks from $100,000 to $300,000. If the claim is higher than this amount, then the owner is liable for any exceeding amount. The situation has gotten so bad, many insurers now ask customers to sign waivers with regards to dog bite liability. Others choose to charge higher premiums, making it harder for people to bear the cost of having a dog, while still others will only cover you if you take your dog to dog obedience classes. The Insurance Information Institute even advises customers to obtain an excess liability coverage that can help protect against personal liabilities, like dog bite attacks.

Of course, the best way to prevent these rising insurance costs and ensure that your dog is not treated like a pariah, is to take proper care to prevent any dog bites from happening in the first place. Many dog bite attacks involve aggressive dog breeds, like Pit bulls, who have recently come under the scanner for their volatile nature and increased presence at the scene of a dog bite attack. It should be evident to anyone with a fair amount of commonsense that pets like this are best kept way from residential neighborhoods where children play on the streets, or where there's a school in the locality. These are dogs that can fly off the deep end for the slightest provocation and attack. The damage that they can inflict is long lasting and scarring, and yet, we have hundreds of dog owners every year who are careless enough to let their pit bull run lose on the streets, or, as it happened in the case of a boy recently, into his school

It seems like education and awareness are the only ways to stem the rising costs of dog bite liability claims. Otherwise, we might see the day not too far in the future when dogs are treated as exotic pets with inflated insurance cover charges.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of dog bites. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

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Dog Attack Victim to Receive $1 Million
February 08, 2008

The victim of a horrific dog attack that took place in 2006 has settled a lawsuit for $1 million for severe facial injuries she sustained during the attack.

On April 6 2006, Wendy Rydberg was walking to the bus stop in the quiet neighborhood of Green Leaf Drive in Santa Rosa, California when a 90-pound American bulldog came racing down the street towards her kids. He belonged to the residents of a house in the neighborhood and had apparently broken free. As Wendy tried to shield her children from the animal, it jumped up and bit off a portion of her nose and some bits of her mouth. It then fled.

Rydberg spent four days in hospital and has had a total of three surgeries to minimize scarring to her nose, mouth and cheek. The scarring still remains, however. The owner of the dog, 19-year-old Rydberg Dale, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and was sentenced to four months in jail and community service. Four months is hardly a stiff sentence for neglecting to restrain your own pet dog and considering the severity of Rydberg's injuries. The dog, Denali, was killed by animal control officials.

According to the settlement, which must have come as a relief to Rydberg, she will receive $900,000 and her family will receive $33,000 each.

This incident again brings to light the question of responsible dog ownership. Blaming the dog in this situation and saying aggressive breeds should all be put down is a little silly and a bit like throwing the baby out with the bath water. Some dog owners, particularly those who have breeds like Rottweilers, Dobermans, and Pit bulls, have a tendency to be blind to the fact that their dog could be quite dangerous to other dogs and human beings. What seems like a friendly and charming dog in your company does have aggressive tendencies that can't be denied. But some aggressive breed owners have the tendency to say "But, he was just such a friendly dog," after their dog has mauled a person half to death. It's a little like saying of a murderer or child molester after he has been caught that he seemed like "such a nice old man." This is a prime example of irresponsible dog ownership.

Animals are not predictable. There's no person that can guarantee that his unleashed and unconfined dog would not be a danger to his neighbors or the community. If you have a fondness for aggressive breeds, by all means, adopt them. But remember that what seems like a sweet loving dog at home might not always behave the same when he's out roaming the neighborhood.

Always keep your dog on a leash when you walk him. Make sure that the gates are locked and he's properly confined when he's at home. It's nothing but irresponsible dog ownership that a 90-pound bulldog was able to escape from his owner's house, then attack and maul an adult. The result is a dog that's dead for nothing more than behaving like an animal, and a woman who will have to live with scars for the rest of her life.

If you have been injured in a dog attack, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury attorney. Contact a lawyer at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.

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San Jose Toddler and Grandmother Attacked by Dog
December 31, 2007

20-month-old Anna Leigh Cinco suffered a traumatic introduction to dogs when a relative's dog mauled her and her grandmother on Sunday night.

Anna, along with her grandmother Elizabeth, was visiting Elizabeth's sister, Lourdes. No details of the attack are available but the dog appears to have been a boxer mix. (Mixed with what? Pit bull? Pit bulls have been known to be involved in more than their share of dog attacks).

The injuries caused to Anne were severe with an entire portion of her face, from her mouth to her jaw, torn apart with some bone showing through. Elizabeth suffered neck and leg injuries. At first it seemed Elizabeth attempted to drive Anne to hospital herself, but realized in the car that the situation needed immediate medical help. She called 911 from the car, and it was a good thing she did. Paramedics say Anne's condition was severe enough to have devastating consequences.

Anne was lucky enough to have a grandmother who had the presence of mind to seek immediate medical attention. Not all victims of dog attacks are that lucky. In many cases all it takes is a few minutes of mauling by ferocious breeds like Rottweilers to result in death-causing injuries.

It's pointless to blame the dog in any of this. But when you look into the number of attacks that are initiated by Rottweilers, Pit Bulls and other aggressive breeds you wonder if maybe more restrictions on the raising of such animals as pets, especially in situations where they could be around children, should be enforced.

If you or a loved-one has been injured in a dog attack, contact the California personal injury lawyers at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.

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Dog Attack Claims Los Angeles Man's Life
August 21, 2007

There have been numerous cases of dogs that attack strangers unprovoked, children in particular. This one has a slightly different twist. Early this August, a caretaker working at the Brentwood, Los Angeles home of Hollywood actor Ving Rhames, was mauled to death by the actor's 4 dogs - 3 bull mastiffs and an English bulldog. What makes this particular case unique - and terrifying - was that the man, who has since been identified as Jacob Adams, served as a caretaker of the dogs, and had been in charge of looking after and feeding them over the past two years. According to the Los Angeles police, there also seemed to be no previous instances of aggression that pointed to any inclination to attack. Dogs generally tend to display some form of aggressive behavior before they launch a severe personal injury causing attack.

When police arrived at the star's Los Angeles property, they found Adams badly mauled, covered in bites, and the dogs running around loose in the compound. The two bull mastiffs it is believed weighed more than 200 pounds each, and there were several other such dogs in the compound.

While investigations have been inconclusive regarding the exact cause of death, pending a toxicology report to be released later, the leading theory seems to be that Adams suffered a heart attack while being attacked by the dogs. The dog bites and lacerations all over his body weren't severe enough to be considered life threatening by themselves, investigators say.

There are more than 68 million dogs currently being raised as pets in the United States. An overwhelming majority of them will cause absolutely no harm, but the few that do send more than 900 persons to emergency rooms across the country every day. In 2005, there were at least 4 reported fatalities from dog attacks in California, the highest number in the country.

California law specifies that a dog owner does not need to be aware that his or her dog is dangerous to be held liable for an attack. If you've suffered through a dog attack or know some one who has, contact the personal injury attorneys at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.

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What You Should Know About Dog Attacks
August 01, 2007

With over 4.7 million dog bites and attacks being reported in the US every year, and California leading the way with the highest number of dog attack related injuries, it's time to put "man's best friend" in a new perspective. That can seem hard to do in a canine crazy country like ours. Dog enthusiasts insist that there's no such thing as a "dangerous dog," and while it's difficult to draw the line between a beloved pet and a vicious animal the hard fact of the matter is that dog bites are one of the most common causes for emergency room visits by children, second only to sports related injuries.

In fact as recently as June 6 this year, Nan Hacker and her poodle were attacked by two Pit Bulls outside her Tustin, California home. While the poodle was mauled to death, Nan suffered severe injuries to her hands.

When you look at dog bite statistics in California and across the US, there are familiar patterns that emerge:

• In 60% of the cases, the victim is a child
• Dogs very rarely attack in the presence of their owner
• Before a fatal dog attack occurs, the animal usually displays aggressive behavior towards others
• Medium to large size animals are usually involved in dog attack cases
• Pit bulls and Rottweilers represent the largest number of fatality and injury causing breeds
• The dog in question is usually an adult male that hasn't been neutered

Dealing with Dog Attacks

More than 15 states nationwide have passed strict legislation with penalties for dog owners whose pets cause death or injury to others. In the state of California, we have "Cody's Law" which makes it a felony to own a dog that severely injures or kills someone.

If you've been the victim of a dog bite injury, the most important thing to do is act immediately, and call an experienced dog bite personal injury attorney. If California statutes of limitations expire, it makes getting justice nearly impossible. It makes sense to contact a qualified attorney at the earliest possible time so your rights are not lost.

The dedicated personal injury lawyers at The Reeves Law Group will bring extensive experience to your case and a proven track record handling dog attack injury lawsuits.

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