Wild Animal Attack on Private Property Injury Lawyer

Were you bitten by a snake on a private home, or suffered a wildlife animal attack on private property? Have you lost a family member or loved one to a wild animal attack on someone else’s property? Sadly, these accidents are fairly common in California, due to the number of wildlife species in many areas of the state. Snakes, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, and bears are just some of the animals that can attack humans and cause life-altering injuries, including death.

While some attacks are not preventable, owners of homes and private properties must take all reasonable measures to ensure the safety of guests and visitors. These properties include people’s houses, backyards, and any other indoor or outdoor area that is a part of their home. They also include large-scale properties, like farms and ranches privately owned by an individual or family. When property owners fail to protect legitimate visitors from a wild animal attack, they may be required to compensate the victim for their economic and emotional damages.

However, there are various elements that you will need to prove in order to sue the property owner. If you’re in need of a law firm that can help with a wild animal attack lawsuit, contact our office for a free case evaluation.

Injuries from a Wild Animal Attack

Being attacked by a snake or any wild animal can have extremely serious consequences for the victim. Here are some of the most common injuries you can sustain from a wildlife attack:

• Deep lacerations
• Puncture marks
• Soft tissue injuries
• Internal bleeding
• Punctured bones / organs
• Permanent scarring / disfigurement
• Permanent eye damage
• Tetanus, sepsis, and other infections
• Nerve damage
• Damage to the blood vessels
• Stroke
• Heart attack
• Paralysis
• Coma
• Death

One of the worst animal attacks on humans is snake bites, which cause an estimated 100,000 deaths around the world every year. Immediate medical attention is essential, as snake venom quickly travels through the blood stream and destroys the blood vessels. Snake venom can also jump start the body’s blood clotting mechanism, which can result in a heart attack or stroke.

However, any wildlife attack can produce severe damages that require long recovery periods and expensive medical treatment. Compensation from a lawsuit can help you with these costs, so please give us a call at our office to learn about your legal options.
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California’s Premises Liability Laws for Property Owners

According to California state law, property owners owe licensees and invitees the duty to keep them safe from accidents that can lead to an injury. That means they may be responsible if someone is attacked by a wild animal on their property. To hold the owner liable in a personal injury lawsuit, the following elements must be proven:

• You were a licensee (you are there for a social purpose) or an invitee (you are there for a business purpose) on a private property.
• As a licensee or invitee, the owner had a duty of care to protect you from a hazardous condition.
• The owner breached that duty by not taking reasonable actions to resolve or prevent the hazard (negligence).
• Due to the owner’s act of negligence, you suffered animal bites and/or other injuries from a wild animal.
• You are entitled to monetary damages for your economic losses and emotional distress.

If you can show evidence to support these elements, you have the basis for a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit against the property owner. Of all these elements, negligence is particularly challenging to prove. Some accidents, after all, could have happened no matter what the owner did or didn’t do. So how do you prove that the owner’s negligence was the direct cause of your wild animal attack?

Can I Sue the Property Owner for my Injuries?

Negligence by a property owner can be caused by intentional actions, like raising a wild animal as a pet and not keeping it in a proper enclosure. However, an owner also has a duty to take care of hazards they didn’t cause, like the sudden appearance of a snake or coyote in their yard. Although the owner didn’t create the hazard, a reasonable person would know that such animals can bite or attack people. Thus, the owner is responsible for protecting licensees and invitees from accidents involving these animals.

Here are some things that an owner can do to prevent wildlife accidents on their property:

• Inspect for dangers on their property, including wild animals or defects that can let in wild animals.
• Take actions to fix those dangers, like creating fences and eradicating the animals.
• Warn the guests on their properties of such defects if they can’t be fixed right away.

If the owner’s failure to resolve a wild animal hazard is directly linked to your accident, you would have grounds to file a lawsuit against the owner. However, there is much more you will need to learn about the lawsuit process, and the best source of information is an experienced attorney. The lawyers of Normandie are waiting to speak with you, so don’t hesitate to give us a call.

What can I Recover from a Wild Animal Bite Lawsuit?

The losses you can recover from a wild animal attack lawsuit depend on whether you are the victim or the loved one of an injury victim. The extent of your injuries and what they take away from your life will also factor into your compensation award.

A compensation package for a wild animal accident lawsuit can include:

• Medical expenses
• Lost wages and/or lost earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of consortium
• Property damage
• Cost of legal representation
• Punitive damages

Family members and loved ones are entitled to damages as well if the victim died from an animal attack due to the property owner’s negligence or misconduct. From a wrongful death lawsuit, loved ones may be able to receive:

• Funeral costs
• Medical expenses
• Loss of expected earnings
• Loss of benefits (pension, healthcare, etc.).
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of consortium
• Legal fees

This is just a brief overview of the available damages, which may or may not apply to your case. Our lawyers can help you figure out what you can request and ensure that you are adequately compensated for your losses.

Statute of Limitations for a Wild Animal Attack Lawsuit

The California court system imposes strict deadlines on the amount of time to file a personal injury lawsuit. In the case of a wild animal bite or attack, you have two years from the date of the accident to seek damages from the responsible party. If you are suing for wrongful compensation, you have two years from the date of death to file a lawsuit.

The court may grant an extension if you were medically incapacitated during the 2-year period, or if you had to leave the state for a period of time. If you were a minor at the time of the accident, you will be granted an extension so that the 2-year timeline begins from the day you turn 18. If none of these circumstances apply to you, you will lose the right to pursue a lawsuit against the property owner. To ensure that you recover the losses you’ve sustained from a wild animal attack, call us right away and schedule a free consultation.

Contact Normandie Law Firm

Being bitten or attacked by a wild animal can lead to devastating consequences for the victim and their loved ones. Even if the victim survives, they often have life-long injuries that they will struggle with on a daily basis. These include mental injuries from the trauma of being attacked, which can manifest as PTSD and other anxiety disorders. All these injuries lead to various losses for the victim and their families, which is why monetary compensation is so important.

Hiring a lawyer that can help with a wild animal attack injury is the best way to recover the damages you deserve. Sadly, many people assume that legal representation is not something they can afford. That’s not the case here at Normandie, where you pay nothing to retain one our services. Our Zero fee guarantee means that all our fees are deferred until we win your lawsuit. If we don’t win, there’s no loss to you at all, since we only get paid if you get paid.

For more information on your right to compensation, contact Normandie Law Firm and speak to a wildlife injury lawsuit attorney.