Food delivery services like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub have exploded in popularity across California since the COVID-19 pandemic.
While delivery brings convenience for customers, it has also led delivery drivers to encounter risks like loose dogs at residential properties. When delivery drivers get bitten, severe injuries and medical expenses often follow.
California maintains strict liability laws that hold dog owners accountable when their pet attacks someone. For delivery workers harmed while carrying out their duties, personal injury litigation can help secure compensation for economic damages and general suffering.
Our Los Angeles dog bite attorneys have represented meal delivery drivers across Southern California. We hold negligent animal owners fully liable to cover our clients’ losses. If a dog attacked you on the job, learn how we can help.
California operates under statutory strict liability for canine attacks. The animal’s owner faces absolute accountability when a dog bites or injures a person. The law also doesn’t require restaurant delivery drivers to prove the dog owner intended the harm or failed to take adequate precautions when securing damage awards.
Our state’s strict liability doctrine does hold a few exceptions, such as immunity for police dogs acting on official duties. However, strict liability generally includes dog attacks on food service contractors or employees delivering meals to private residences.
Therefore, if you suffered a dog bite while delivering a meal, California supports making the animal owner reimburse you for damages.
Other factors that establish absolute animal owner liability for dog bites on meal delivery drivers include:
When evidence shows the attack dog hurt someone before or had shown previous aggressive tendencies, it proves that the owner should have known the dog posed a danger. This contention implies the animal owner held an absolute duty of care to restrain and manage the unsafe animal at all times.
California law mandates that owners exercise suitable care to keep their dogs confined at home. If the dog had reasonable means to access the delivery worker, the negligent act would “speak for itself” and strengthen a victim’s case.
When we represent meal delivery drivers who suffer dog attacks, our team thoroughly investigates each incident. We determine if the animal owner knew of prior aggression or was negligent in confining the animal. This critical evidence is the core of every strict liability personal injury lawsuit.
Some assume Uber Eats, GrubHub drivers, and the like receive workers’ compensation when injured on the job. However, that is not the case under current California law. These companies classify delivery drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. This classification excludes meal delivery drivers from state insurance benefits, including workman’s comp.
As independent contractors, injured food delivery drivers must pursue direct personal injury claims against dog owners and assert the state’s strict liability statutes in their complaints. Unfortunately, severe bites often provoke heavy medical debts long before the courts resolve lawsuits. The financial blows can be devastating for food service drivers facing lost wages and expensive doctor bills.
This is why Los Angeles dog bite lawyers move quickly to hold negligent dog owners accountable. We negotiate with animal owners and their insurance companies to get money into the hands of food delivery drivers fast. This way, bite victims won’t go broke paying for urgent care needs out of pocket.
Most contractors need urgent medical care after a dog mauling or attack knockdown. Wounds also risk infection due to bacteria from the canine’s mouth. In some cases, plastic surgery or extensive sutures is necessary to redress severe facial or bodily damage.
Beyond immediate emergency care treatment, victims may need follow-up outpatient appointments, physical therapy, medications, and other care. When attacks cause long-term impairment, rehabilitation needs often persist for months or even years.
Additionally, expensive medical bills and lost income injure the victim’s wallet. Most independent contractors or food delivery employees don’t receive unemployment insurance payments while recovering from a dog bite attack. And as the financial pressures pile up, emotional harm often accompanies the physical pain a dog bite victim endures.
Preventing future harm is one of the foremost reasons we accept dog bite cases. Success in court reminds negligent owners about their absolute animal care duties and deters a continued lax of safety.
Listed below are the best practices for avoiding dog bites that all food service drivers should follow when delivering meals to customers.
Successful personal injury litigation cannot reverse the physical and emotional scars that a victim endures, but favorable jury awards may ease life disruptions during recovery.
Food Service drivers bringing strict liability dog bite action may pursue several legal remedies from owners to cure their damages.
This includes compensation for medical treatment expenses, missed income, and other out-of-pocket financial impacts. The courts will consider evidence like medical bills, pay statements, and property repair invoices.
These awards cover general pain and suffering arising from the attack, emotional distress, disfigurement, disability, and reduced enjoyment of life.
When dog owners act willfully, maliciously, or recklessly, food delivery drivers can pursue exemplary remedies that punish the dog owner.
Los Angeles dog bite attorneys prepare cases to go the distance but first seek fair settlements through insurance negotiations or court-ordered mediation. We thoroughly prepare each case for a jury trial, even though California claimants settle 95% of dog bite lawsuits out of court.
When settlement negotiations fail, claimants will only succeed when their attorney finds evidence that supports California’s strict liability rules.
First, plaintiffs must show that the elements of the dog bite incident reasonably fall under California’s strict liability rules. You must show that the bite occurred during business activities on private property. Food service drivers should also argue that they were performing their delivery duties rather than trespassing.
Next, credible medical documentation must demonstrate the incident caused severe bodily harm. Minor scratches most likely don’t warrant bringing personal injury action. However, wounds requiring sutures, surgery, or extended care strengthen cases. Also, documented psychological trauma supports non-economic suffering claims.
Plaintiffs need convincing evidence that traces the injuries and damages to the specific bite event. Photos of wounds help, as do EMT, ER, and aftercare records noting bite-related treatment.
Your Los Angeles Dog bite attorney will gather evidence proving your strict liability arguments and attempt to shift fault automatically to the dog owner.
Meal delivery drivers rely on our practice because of our reputation for advocating fiercely for dog bite victims. We meticulously prepare every case and provide compassionate counsel that focuses on our client’s needs.
Our firm secures out-of-court settlements and favorable jury verdicts for severely bitten food delivery drivers and similar victims. We also know which strict liability arguments connect with juries.
Clients receive direct contact with their lead attorney and complete support from staff. You won’t feel passed on between uninformed team members.
Our firm applies mediation fairness when settling dog bite lawsuits. You can trust us to negotiate honestly with defendants and insurance companies on your behalf.
We provide free, no-obligation case evaluations. That way, meal delivery drivers can weigh their options and get professional insight before retaining representation.
After sustaining injuries from a dog attack, move towards justice and fair compensation. You don’t have to shoulder your journey alone. LA Dog Bite Law has helped biting victims recover damages across Southern California.
Equipped with a proven record of results, our dog bite litigation success comes from comprehensive preparation, utilizing bite investigators, economists, and other expert support.
With an office in Los Angeles positioned to help meal delivery dog bite victims throughout Southern California, contact our firm and receive support from capable personal injury attorneys.
We offer free consultations in strict confidence without commitment. Our legal fees only come from the proceeds of favorable just verdicts, keeping justice fully accessible.
Whether you’ve suffered from deep lacerations, infections, nerve damage, emotional trauma, or other types of dog bite injuries, our experienced team is here to provide you with the legal support and guidance you need.
Yes. You can sue a dog owner under California’s strict liability statute. You don’t have to prove negligence – only that you were lawfully on the property for delivery when bitten.
The dog owner’s home insurance generally pays medical bills for dog bite injuries. If uninsured, the owners themselves must indemnify you. But delays sometimes happen, so speak to a lawyer about fast expense recovery.
Yes. California imposes strict liability for all dog bites, regardless of previous aggression. Responsibility stems from owning a biting dog, not knowing that the animal would bite.
You can recover medical costs, lost wages, pain, and suffering damages. And potentially punitive awards in case of extreme owner negligence. Document all bite-related losses. A lawyer can help calculate your full claim.
Our reach extends throughout California, from the sunny streets of San Diego to the bustling cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, and beyond. We’re here to help victims across the state report dog bites, find the legal support they need, and ensure that justice is served. By reporting dog bites and seeking assistance, we’re all doing our part in making our communities safer while helping victims get back on their feet.
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