Dog Bites and Attacks

4 Factors That Influence Your Personal Injury Settlement

If you experience a personal injury – a slip and fall, for example – what factors go into determining your settlement from the individual or company’s insurance company? Here are four of the primary things to consider.

• Medical bills – The more extensive the injuries, the larger the settlement. You need to be compensated for the medical bills you incurred, and that will include bills that occurred due to seeing a doctor who was not in your network.
• Lost wages – Did you have to use vacation or sick days? Did you miss other days of work that were unpaid? You should be compensated, not just for current lost wages but also future lost wages (for example, if you can no longer work due to the extent of your injuries).
• Personal losses – If you experience ongoing hardship due to the extent of your injuries, you should be compensated. This includes both emotional and physical damages.
• Other Intangible losses – Not everything you lose will have a set value. Personal losses are included as intangible losses. However, you may also experience intangible losses, such as loss of trust, safety, fertility, expectations. There are all sorts of things that could be lost due to an injury that doesn’t have a specific dollar value.

Get Help from Experienced Personal Injury Attorneys in Southern California

Sadly, if you try to work with the insurance company alone, they may try to only pay for medical bills or just add in a little extra to get you to go away. To get what you truly deserve, call Petrov Law Firm in San Diego at 619.344.0360. Our experienced attorneys will help you to maximize your settlement.

What You Need to Know About Compensation After a Dog Attack

In California, dog attack cases are pretty open and shut. The owner is just about always liable for the damages caused. And most homeowners or renters insurance policies will cover the injuries under general liability. But here are a few things you should know:

• You can’t be a trespasser – If you are on someone’s property illegally and their dog defends the property, the homeowner is not at fault. You shouldn’t have been there. If you were invited onto the property or have another legal reason to be there, you have a right to your personal safety.
• The owner is responsible for anything that happens in public – Once the owner leaves home with their dog, they are now responsible for the dog’s behavior. The only exception would be if someone was behaving in a way that seems to be intentionally trying to taunt the dog into attacking.
• You only have a case if you get injured – Sometimes, a dog attacks just to scare someone, and they don’t bite or do any serious damage. If you don’t have medical bills resulting from the injury or other losses, then there is no case.

California’s Dog Bite Attorneys in San Diego

Petrov Law Firm has the experienced attorneys that you want in your corner when dealing with an insurance company to try and receive compensation after a dog attack. Give us a call today at 619.344.0360 to schedule a consultation and let our team help you get the compensation you deserve.

Tips for Delivering a Package to a House with a Dog

The stereotype of the dog running off a delivery person is a stereotype for a reason. Dogs don’t like strangers coming onto their turf. How can you do your job safely when the house you are supposed to deliver to has a dog? Here are a few quick tips.

• Don’t wear earbuds – Music can make a day of delivering packages go faster. But you’ll want to be able to hear if you encounter a dog (and without the sudden move of taking your earbuds out). Plus, if a dog comes at you from behind, you want to hear the growl or barking, so you don’t jump when you see it. That’s another sudden movement you want to avoid.
• Don’t try to befriend a strange dog – Your first inclination may be to try and pet the dog. Maybe you even have had good experiences encountering new dogs in the past. However, you shouldn’t approach a strange dog. Even if this is your regular route, don’t try to pet a dog in these circumstances. You don’t know the present situation. The dog may just not want to be approached that day.
• Don’t assume the owner being present makes the dog safer – In fact, a dog may get upset if you approach their owner rapidly and thrust something toward them. So take your time and hand the package to the owner gently. In fact, it may be better to put it down and let the owner come to the package (especially now since social distancing is also a good idea).

Support for San Diego Dog Bite Victims

Petrov Law Firm can help you get the compensation that you deserve from the owner’s insurance. Contact us today at 619.344.0360 to learn more.

Tips for Care Following a Dog Bite

First things first: If you cannot confirm that the dog that bit you is vaccinated against rabies, seek medical attention immediately. There is no treatment for rabies once symptoms begin to show, so if you can’t be sure, you need to take the treatment as soon as possible following the dog bite. You will also require medical attention if you can’t stop the bleeding. If the dog is properly vaccinated, here are some tips to help you to keep the bite infection-free.

• Clean the wound with water and mild soap – Run water over the bite for up to 10 minutes to make sure all of the bacteria have been flushed out. Obviously, if there is too much bleeding, you will have to apply pressure to stop it. Use a clean cloth. Don’t just run water on a wound that is gushing blood. Take that to the emergency room.
• Bandage the wound – If you can get the wound clean and stop the bleeding on your own, it is now time to bandage the wound while it heals. Use an antibiotic cream to fight infection (some also help with the pain). Use sterile bandages and change them every few hours during the day and immediately when you wake up in the morning.
• If you see an infection starting to set in, contact a doctor right away.

Get Legal Assistance Following a Dog Bite in California

If you do require medical visits, stitches, missed workdays, or experience any other tangible losses due to the attack, contact Petrov Law Firm in San Diego. We can help you to recuperate these losses through a settlement with the owner’s insurance company. Call 619.344.0360 to get started today.

Don’t Let an Insurance Adjuster Cost You a Fair Settlement

Insurance companies usually play a role after a personal injury. Not only do most individuals not have the money to cover medical bills after things like an accident, slip and fall, or dog bite, but most individuals and businesses carry insurance for this purpose. The only thing is, in order for the insurance company to stay in business, they hire people to be really nice to you while paying you as little as possible. Don’t get cheated out of a fair settlement by any of these insurance company tactics.

• Requests for signed or recorded statements – This is a trap. They hope you will say something on the record that allows them to pin part of the blame on you and therefore reduce your settlement. Only your lawyer should be in communication with the insurance company.
• The delay game – Sometimes, the insurance company will make you sweat it out, wondering if they will ever offer anything. By the time they come back to you with an offer, you are desperate and surrounded by medical bills. You better believe that offer isn’t going to be fair to you.
• Trying to make you give up – Sometimes insurance companies ask for ridiculous information, perhaps even info that it is not your job to provide. They do this to make it seem like a claim is just too much work. Sadly, many people give up without getting any compensation.

Get the Help You Need in Southern California

Petrov Law Firm in San Diego is here to help! Contact an experienced personal injury attorney today by calling 619.344.0360.

California Regulations Regarding Dog Bites

Did you know that more than 4 million dog bites occur each year? That may seem like a shocking figure unless you know that over one-third of households own one or more dogs in the United States. That makes up more than 76 million dogs. That’s more than one dog for every five humans!

While dogs are usually very safe pets, what happens when a dog attacks someone? In California, it is important to know the laws specific to this state. Here are a few regulations.

• Proof of negligence is not required – For most personal injury cases, you have to prove that the property owner was negligent. This is not the case with dogs. There is an implied risk.
• There is no “one bite rule” in California – Some states let a dog owner off the hook if the dog has never attacked anyone before. This law does not exist in California. The owner is liable for damages the very first time the animal attacks a human.
• The person who was attacked must not be responsible for the attack if they want compensation – If you are trespassing on private property or intentionally antagonizing a dog, then the bite is your fault, not the owner’s.

Legal Support for Dog Bites in California

Dog bite settlements are usually handled by an insurance company, and that means you are going to want an attorney, so you don’t get shortchanged on the settlement. Call Petrov Law Firm today at 619.344.0360 to learn what we can do to help.

Reasons a Personal Injury Attorney May Decline Your Case

Are you struggling to find a personal injury lawyer in southern California who is willing to take your case? There are a number of reasons that an attorney may decline to take on a case. Here are a few factors that will impact personal injury cases in particular.

• The statute of limitations has run out – If the injury occurred more than two years ago, there is likely nothing the attorney can do for you. You may still want to check in case your situation falls under a special circumstance, but if you are being turned away, this could be the reason.
• You don’t have a clear case – There could be a couple of reasons for this. Perhaps it is unclear whether an individual or entity is to blame for your injuries. Additionally, you need to be able to show there are damages. If all that was injured was your pride, there are no losses to recoup.
• There’s no way to receive compensation – Usually, an insurance company covers damages. If the person at fault has no insurance and no assets, there is nothing you can get as compensation, even if you have a legitimate case and a right to damages. The defendant (or their insurance company) has to have something to give.

Southern California’s Personal Injury Attorneys

Petrov Law Firm would be happy to review your case to see if you are able to receive compensation. Call 619.344.0360 to let us help you maximize your settlement!

How to Handle Medical Expenses Due to Injuries

If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident, a slip and fall, a dog attack, or in some other preventable way, the most important thing to do is to get the proper medical care. However, you may find that the bills are starting to pile up. Maybe the injuries were more extensive than you thought at first, or perhaps you were taken to a facility that this not covered by your insurance due to the location of the accident.

So how can you handle the medical expenses? The number one thing is to track all of the expenses closely. These bills prove that you experienced damages as the result of the accident. Now, it is time to hire a personal injury attorney in the state where the injuries occurred. This is vital because you will most likely be dealing with an insurance company.

Insurance companies hire people who are very friendly and charismatic as their adjusters. This gives you the sense that they are working for you and trying to get you the best payout possible to cover your losses. But remember: the adjuster works for the insurance company. Their job is to pay out as little as possible, so you should have someone who knows the law helping you to get what you truly deserve.

San Diego’s Personal Injury Attorneys

At Petrov Law Firm, we are committed to helping our clients receive the proper compensation for their losses. Give us a call today at 619.344.0360 to have an experienced attorney handle your settlement.

Teach Your Children How to Play Nice with Dogs

Millions of dog bites occur each year across America, and hundreds of thousands require medical attention. Some of the worst injuries occur in kids because dogs can quickly attack a child’s face, whereas they often go after the legs in adults. Here are some vital suggestions to help your children avoid accidentally provoking a dog.

• Teach your child the importance of introducing yourself to a dog by letting it sniff you before trying to pet it.
• Don’t leave a young child alone with a dog. This is also true at home. Even the family pet can bite if it feels anxious.
• Teach your child good manners with the pets of others. Not only is it rude to just walk up to someone else’s pet and touch it, but the dog may also view the approach as threatening. Speaking with the owner first to get permission will put the owner, and therefore the dog, at ease.
• Remind your child that there are times they should not try to pet a dog. Dogs are more likely to bite if you wake them suddenly or approach them while they are eating.
• Train your child to deal with a dog that is aggressive. For example, remind them to back away rather than turning to run.

Assistance After a Dog Bite Injury

Despite proper training, sometimes a dog bite can happen. When the injury was caused by someone else’s pet, you should receive compensation for medical bills or other losses. If you or a loved one has been injured in southern California, contact Petrov Law Firm today at 619.344.0360 to get the legal assistance you need.

Keep These Points in Mind if You Have Experienced a Personal Injury

When an individual, business, or public entity causes harm to someone through negligence, compensation is due. This compensation can cover medical bills and other losses, both tangible and intangible. What are some things that you should know if you have been injured in this way?

• If you have experienced any damages at all, you should start a case – Don’t let anyone tell you that your injuries are not extensive enough. Even if your injuries are minor, you could have medical bills. Plus, if you missed any work, you need to be compensated for that. You may even be dealing with emotional trauma due to the accident, such as PTSD.
• Don’t rely on the insurance company to compensate you fairly – The insurance adjuster will be very friendly with you, but they are always on the side of their client. Their job is to pay you as little as possible.
• Don’t sign anything until you consult an attorney – Signing an agreement or accepting compensation may stop you from being able to receive any further compensation in the future, so you want your attorney to go over anything before you sign it.

San Diego’s Experienced Personal Injury Attorneys

Petrov Law Firm has experienced attorneys you can trust if you have suffered an injury in southern California. Whether your injury is from a car accident, dog bite, or slip and fall, we can help you to obtain the compensation you are due. Contact us today by calling 619.344.0360 and let us help you maximize your settlement.