Dog Bites matters in Redding
Dog Bites in the Redding Area
Dog attacks happen in everyday settings around Redding — on neighborhood walks in Enterprise, Parkview, and Sunset Terrace, along the trails near the Sundial Bridge and the Sacramento River Trail, and at homes in outlying communities like Palo Cedro, Anderson, and Cottonwood. Children are bitten far more often than adults and tend to suffer the most serious facial and head injuries, which can require emergency treatment at Mercy Medical Center Redding and later reconstructive care.
California's dog bite law is strong. Under Civil Code section 3342, a dog owner is strictly liable for bite injuries when the victim is bitten in a public place or lawfully on private property — meaning the victim generally does not have to prove the dog had bitten before or that the owner was careless. This is more protective than the "one free bite" rule that applies in many other states, and it is a key reason these claims can be pursued effectively.
How Dog Bite Claims Are Resolved
Most dog bite claims are paid through the owner's homeowner's or renter's insurance liability coverage. We identify the policy, document the attack with photographs, medical records, and witness statements, and account for both the immediate injuries and longer-term harm such as permanent scarring, nerve damage, and the very real emotional trauma that follows a serious bite — particularly for young children. We also report and account for any animal-control records when they exist.
Strict liability covers bites, but injuries caused another way — for example a large dog knocking someone down — may still be pursued under ordinary negligence. We evaluate every theory available.
Statewide Help for Bite Victims
Cases that do not settle are filed at the Shasta County Superior Court on Court Street in downtown Redding. Attorney Mihran M. Ghazaryan is based in Glendale and represents Shasta County dog bite victims throughout California, working remotely and communicating in English, Armenian, or Russian. The consultation is free, and there is no fee unless we recover.
Why Prompt Care and Documentation Matter
Dog bite wounds carry a serious risk of infection and often require more treatment than victims first expect, including stitches, antibiotics, and sometimes reconstructive surgery for facial scarring. Prompt care at Mercy Medical Center Redding both protects the victim's health and creates the medical record a claim depends on. We help families document the injuries with photographs over time, obtain any animal-control reports, and account for the emotional trauma that follows an attack — especially for children. Honest, well-organized documentation is what allows us to present the full extent of the harm to a homeowner's insurer.
Our attorney
How Mihran M. Ghazaryan helps with dog bites
California holds dog owners strictly liable, and Mihran M. Ghazaryan works directly with the owner's homeowners or renters insurer so families aren't put in the position of suing a neighbor out of pocket. He documents the bite, the medical treatment, and any scarring with the seriousness these injuries — especially to children — deserve.
Types of dog bite injuries we handle
Children's dog bites
Scarring on a child has a long arc. We document the injury carefully and, when appropriate, hold the recovery in a court-supervised account.
Postal carrier and delivery worker bites
Workers' compensation and the homeowner's policy can both apply. We coordinate to maximize total recovery.
Multi-dog incidents and provocation defenses
Strict liability has narrow exceptions. We address provocation defenses head-on with witness work and documentation.
Damages
What compensation can cover
Every dog bite injury claim is different, but California law allows injured plaintiffs to seek several categories of damages. We build each one with documentation — medical records, wage statements, expert opinions — so nothing is left on the table.
Medical expenses
Emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, and the future treatment your providers say you'll need.
Lost wages
Income you lost while recovering — and, where the injury affects your ability to work, diminished future earning capacity.
Pain and suffering
Compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, and the ways the injury has changed how you live day to day.
Property damage
Repair or replacement of your vehicle and other property damaged in the incident.
Out-of-pocket costs
Transportation to appointments, medical equipment, household help, and the other expenses an injury forces on you.
How we work
- 1
Free, no-pressure consultation
We listen first. We answer your questions. There is no fee for the initial conversation — and you decide whether to engage us at the end of it.
- 2
Investigation and evidence preservation
Police reports, scene photos, witness statements, vehicle data, surveillance video, medical records. The earlier we collect, the harder it is for the other side to reshape the story later.
- 3
Treatment, demand, and negotiation
We coordinate with your providers, document the full extent of damages — medical, lost income, pain — and present a demand backed by evidence. We push back firmly when an insurer lowballs.
- 4
Litigation when necessary
Most matters settle. When an insurer refuses to be reasonable, we file. Preparing every case as if it will be tried is what makes the settlement number move.
What to do right away
- Get medical attention; rabies and infection risk drive immediate care.
- Report the bite to animal control and request a copy of the report.
- Photograph wounds at intake and during healing — scarring damages depend on documentation.
- Get the owner's homeowners or renters insurance information.
- Call us before signing anything.
The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.
Deadlines that matter
Most California personal-injury claims must be filed within two years of the injury (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1). Miss the window and the court will almost always dismiss the case, no matter how strong it is.
Claims against government entities are much shorter — generally a written claim within six months (Government Code §911.2). Crashes involving city vehicles, public buses, or dangerous public-road conditions can fall under this rule.
Exceptions exist in both directions — discovery rules, minors, continuing violations, out-of-state defendants — so don't assume your deadline has passed or that you have time to spare. Call (818) 539-7969 and we'll tell you exactly where you stand.