Beware of Dog Signs and Liability

Were you attacked by a dog in California? Learn about beware of dog signs and liability to see if you can recover damages for your dog bite injuries in this video by Ventura dog bite lawyer Craig Murphy.

Read Our Dog Bite Guide

If you are here in Ventura, and someone has a beware of dog sign, yet you are attacked and injured by that dog, does that mean that they’re not responsible for it? It all depends on what the circumstances are. Typically, a defense to a dog bite case is what’s known as assumption of the risk. In other words, you saw the beware of dog sign and you went into the yard anyway. You assume the risk that the dog could bite you. Let’s say the circumstances are this. Your kids are out playing ball in the front yard. There’s a beware of dog sign on the neighbor’s yard. As your kids are out playing, the dog gets out of the gate, and comes out and attacks one of your children. Is that person responsible or do they get off scot-free because they had a beware of dog sign? The answer is no, they don’t get off because their dog escaped. They didn’t protect you and your children from that dog because they let it get out of the gate.

Now, if the ball goes over the fence and your children climb over the fence to go get the ball, hen yes, they may be responsible for going in there. The owner may not be held responsible. Let’s say you go into the house. You know there is a beware of dog sign on the front of the house. Does that automatically make them not responsible for their dog if it attacks you? Not necessarily because they know that they have a dangerous dog. If they don’t put that dog in a room, or in a crate, and that dog all of a sudden comes charging out and attacks and malls you, they may still be responsible.

The bottom line is these are very fact-intensive cases. That means that the facts are very important. Someone is going to have to gather these facts, analyze them, and determine who is responsible.

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