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Bitten by a dog in Concord? California’s strict liability law means you don’t have to prove the dog had a history of biting. 50+ years of experience. $1 billion+ recovered. No fee unless we win.
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If you or your child was bitten anywhere in Concord — on a sidewalk in the Monument corridor, on the Contra Costa Canal Trail, at Newhall Community Park, in an apartment courtyard, or in a neighbor’s yard — California law puts the burden on the owner, not on you. You don’t need to prove the dog had a history. You don’t need to prove the owner knew. The bite itself is enough.
Scranton Law Firm has represented injured Californians for more than 50 years. We’ve recovered over $1 billion for our clients. We know Concord dog bite cases — the Contra Costa Animal Services reporting process, John Muir’s wound-care and rabies-prophylaxis routing through Concord and Walnut Creek, and the way Contra Costa County Superior Court handles minor’s compromise petitions when a child has been bitten. We move quickly because pediatric scarring claims, in particular, hinge on photographs taken in the first 72 hours and on a credible projection of future scar-revision and plastic-surgery costs across the child’s lifetime.
We answer the phone 24/7. The consultation is free. If the owner’s homeowner’s or renter’s insurer is already trying to close out your claim with a fast offer, good — they can call us instead.
Two trial lawyers based in our Concord office. Direct access. Every call returned.
Leading the firm since 2009. A rider who has been through surgeries and rehab himself, and knows what an injury takes from you.
With the firm since 2019. An award-winning trial advocate who prepares every case as if it is going in front of a jury.
If you or your child has been bitten by a dog in Concord, California law is squarely on your side. Under California Civil Code § 3342, the owner of a dog is strictly liable for any bite that occurs in a public place or while the victim is lawfully on private property. Strict liability means you do not need to prove the dog had previously bitten anyone, that the owner knew the dog was dangerous, or that the owner did anything wrong beyond owning the dog. One bite is enough.
Owner is liable for the very first bite. California does not require proof the dog was dangerous or had a history of aggression — strict liability attaches from the moment the bite occurs.
Unlike negligence cases, you do not have to show the dog had a history of aggression or that the owner was aware of any prior dangerous behavior. The bite itself establishes liability.
Newhall Community Park, the Contra Costa Canal Trail, a neighbor’s yard you were invited into, apartment common areas, front porches — anywhere you had a legal right to be at the time of the bite.
There are no breed exceptions under California Civil Code § 3342. The statute covers every breed — including mixed breeds. Breed is irrelevant to liability, though it may factor into injury severity.
Most Concord dog bite claims are paid by the owner’s homeowner’s or renter’s liability coverage — not out of the owner’s pocket. Filing a claim is not the same as personally suing your neighbor.
Concord dog bites cluster around predictable environments. We have seen the same locations generate incidents repeatedly:
High dog density, informal off-leash areas, and a large family population. Conflicts between leashed and off-leash dogs — and the people walking them — produce serious bites. Newhall Community Park is a frequent source of the Concord dog bite cases we handle.
Frequent dog walkers; multiple incidents near the WPA Rock Garden and throughout the park’s open lawns. Children approaching unfamiliar dogs is a recurring scenario in this family-heavy park.
Dense residential blocks, apartment complexes, and regular sidewalk dog-walking routes create frequent close-proximity encounters between dogs and pedestrians.
Popular walking and cycling routes with frequent dog encounters. Leashed and off-leash dogs regularly interact with joggers, cyclists, and families on these paths, creating a steady bite-risk environment.
Bites often happen where dogs slip out of yards, broken gates, patios, or apartment common areas into sidewalks, parking lots, and shared driveways.
Newhall Community Park, Hillcrest Park, Lime Ridge Open Space, and the unofficial off-leash spots throughout Concord are where attacks between dogs frequently involve the humans trying to separate them. Even bystanders struck during a dog fight may have a claim against the owner of the aggressive dog.
Requiring sutures, surgical debridement, or surgical repair. Puncture wounds are deceptively small on the surface but often deep — bacteria are driven into tissue and infection risk is significant.
Permanent, especially on the face, hands, and forearms. Scar revision and plastic surgery costs can span years and represent a major component of recoverable damages — particularly for children bitten on the face or head.
Deep bites to hands or arms can sever or compress nerves, producing numbness, loss of dexterity, chronic pain, or permanent sensory deficits. Hand nerve damage is particularly disabling for those who work with their hands.
Dog bites carry bacteria including Capnocytophaga and Pasteurella. Bite wound infections can progress to cellulitis, abscess, or sepsis — sometimes requiring hospitalization. Seek ER care promptly. John Muir Medical Center – Walnut Creek is the regional Level II trauma center for serious bite injuries; John Muir Medical Center – Concord Campus is the closest ER for many local cases.
Knockdown attacks — particularly against children or elderly victims — can produce head injuries when the victim strikes the ground. Children attacked around the head and face by larger breeds can suffer skull fractures.
Fear of dogs, nightmares, and anxiety in public spaces are common after serious bites — especially in children. Counseling and psychological treatment costs are recoverable. The non-economic impact of PTSD is often the largest single component of value in pediatric cases.
Wounds change dramatically over the first several days — bruising deepens, swelling peaks, and the full extent of lacerations becomes visible. Daily photographs document the progression and establish the true severity of the injury.
Name, address, contact information, and proof of rabies vaccination. Photograph the dog and its license tag if safe to do so. If the owner refuses, call Concord PD — failure to provide information after a dog bite can be a separate violation.
Neighbors, other park visitors, bystanders — anyone who saw the attack or the moments leading up to it. Get contact information before they leave. Witnesses are difficult to locate after the fact.
File a bite report with Contra Costa Animal Services. The official report creates the formal record of the incident, triggers quarantine and vaccine verification, and documents any prior bite history on file with the agency.
ER records documenting wound severity and rabies prophylaxis initiation. Same-day medical records establish that the bite caused your injuries and provide the baseline for all future care projections.
Children are bitten by dogs at higher rates than adults, and because of their height they are bitten on the face, head, and neck most often — producing the most severe scarring and disfigurement. The injuries follow a child for life. Cosmetic surgery and scar-revision procedures continue as the child grows, and future surgery costs must be projected and included in any claim.
California law treats minor victims differently: any settlement involving a child under 18 must be approved by a court as a minor’s compromise under CCP § 372. This procedure protects the child’s recovery from being prematurely released or spent before the child needs it. Settlement funds are typically placed in a blocked account or structured settlement until the child turns 18. We handle minor’s compromises routinely at Contra Costa County Superior Court and ensure courts approve fair settlements that account for the child’s full lifetime needs.
The first 24 hours after a bite are critical — both medically and legally:
John Muir Medical Center – Walnut Creek for severe bites, John Muir Medical Center – Concord Campus for many local ER visits, or urgent care for less severe injuries. The rabies prophylaxis window is critical — do not delay. Even minor-appearing bites carry serious infection risk.
Photograph the wounds before they are cleaned or bandaged. Photograph the dog and its license tag if it is safe to do so. Photograph the location of the attack and any leash, fence, or containment involved.
Report the bite to Contra Costa Animal Services. California law requires bite reporting. The agency will handle quarantine and rabies observation and create the official incident record.
Name, address, phone number, homeowner’s or renter’s insurance carrier, and proof of the dog’s rabies vaccination. If the owner refuses to provide information, contact the Concord Police Department non-emergency line at (925) 671-3220.
We review the incident immediately and advise on preserving evidence. The owner’s insurer will call quickly — do not give a recorded statement or accept any offer before speaking with us. Free consultation, 24/7.
ER visit, surgery, rabies shots, wound care, infection management, plastic surgery for scarring, and future scar revision procedures. All past and projected future medical costs are recoverable.
Income missed during treatment and recovery. Reduced earning capacity is recoverable separately if nerve damage, disfigurement, or PTSD affects your ability to work going forward.
Physical pain and emotional distress from the bite and the recovery process. Pain and suffering is often the largest single component of value in serious dog bite cases.
Valued separately from general pain and suffering — particularly substantial in dog bite cases involving facial, neck, and visible-extremity scarring. Scar revision and reconstructive surgery costs are recoverable as medical expenses.
Therapy for PTSD, anxiety, phobia of dogs, and fear of public spaces following a bite. Psychological treatment costs are recoverable — both past and projected future treatment.
If the owner knew the dog was dangerous and did nothing to protect others — through prior bites, prior aggressive encounters, or documented dangerous behavior — punitive damages may be available in addition to compensatory damages.
Call us at 1-800-707-0707, 24/7. We listen, answer your questions, and tell you honestly whether you have a case worth pursuing. No commitment. No fee.
We pull the Contra Costa Animal Services bite report, check prior bite history, confirm vaccination status, identify the owner’s insurance, and secure witness statements before they are lost.
We identify all liable parties — including landlords if the bite occurred in an apartment common area where the landlord knew the dog was dangerous — and investigate the owner’s history and available insurance coverage.
Once treatment has stabilized and future-care costs can be projected, we send a comprehensive demand to the homeowner’s or renter’s insurer and negotiate aggressively for the full value of your claim.
If your child was bitten, we handle the petition for court approval at Contra Costa County Superior Court and arrange a blocked account or structured settlement that protects the child’s recovery.
Settlement or verdict. We resolve outstanding medical liens, deduct fees and costs, and put your check in your hand — or manage the court-supervised disbursement for minor clients.
Don’t Accept the First Offer — Especially for Scarring Cases
Dog bite insurance claims are often handled by the homeowner’s or renter’s insurer. These adjusters routinely offer quick, low settlements — particularly before the full extent of scarring is known, before plastic surgery opinions are obtained, and before a child’s future surgical needs are projected. Once you sign a release, the case is closed forever. Never accept an offer before you know the full scope of your injuries and future costs.
Yes. California Civil Code § 3342 makes dog owners strictly liable for bites in public places or when the victim was lawfully on private property. Strict liability means you do not need to prove the owner knew the dog was dangerous — the bite itself establishes liability. This applies to every bite in Concord parks, sidewalks, trails, and neighborhoods.
Prior bite history is irrelevant under California Civil Code § 3342. California does not have a “one free bite” rule. The owner is strictly liable for the very first bite, regardless of what they knew about the dog’s temperament or history. If you were bitten, you have a claim — period.
Two years from the date of the bite (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1) for private-owner dogs. If a government-owned or government-controlled dog was involved — such as a Concord Police K-9 handler’s personal dog or an off-duty bite — you must file a written government tort claim within 6 months under Cal. Gov. Code § 911.2. Call us immediately if a government agency dog was involved.
You can file a claim on your child’s behalf as a parent or guardian. Any settlement of a minor’s claim must be approved by the court through a minor’s compromise procedure under CCP § 372. This protects the child’s recovery from being prematurely released. Settlement funds are placed in a blocked account or structured settlement until the child turns 18. We handle the entire court petition process at Contra Costa County Superior Court. Children’s cases are often the most substantial dog bite claims we handle.
Provocation is one of the few defenses available under § 3342 — but it must be intentional provocation. Accidentally startling a dog, reaching out to pet a dog, or walking past a dog generally does not constitute provocation under California law. Even where some provocation is found, California’s comparative fault rules reduce the owner’s liability proportionally — they do not eliminate it. Insurance adjusters often raise provocation as a negotiating tactic. Don’t let them close your claim early.
Bites by government-owned dogs — Concord Police K-9 units, or an animal control officer’s personal dog biting someone while on duty — may be covered under government liability. However, you must file a written government tort claim with the City of Concord or Contra Costa County within 6 months under Cal. Gov. Code § 911.2. Missing this deadline typically bars the claim permanently. Call us immediately if a government dog was involved so we can identify the correct agency and file within the window.
More Concord injury help:
Contra Costa Animal Services — Animal Services portal
Report dog bites here. This triggers quarantine, vaccine verification, and the official agency record.
John Muir Medical Center – Walnut Creek Campus — 1601 Ygnacio Valley Road, Walnut Creek · 24/7 emergency care
Regional hospital option for severe bite injuries requiring surgery or higher-acuity treatment.
John Muir Medical Center – Concord Campus — 2540 East Street · 24/7 ER · Common Concord ER for bite injuries, wound cleaning, imaging, and follow-up instructions.
Concord Police Department — 1350 Galindo Street · (925) 671-3220
Report bites where the owner refuses to cooperate or cannot be identified.
Wakefield Taylor Courthouse — 725 Court Street, Martinez, CA 94553
Where Contra Costa County personal injury lawsuits — including dog bite cases and minor’s compromise petitions — are filed and heard.
More Concord injury help: visit our Concord personal injury lawyers home page, or our Concord pages for car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, wrongful death, slip and fall.
The dog owner’s insurer will start low and wait to see if you accept — especially when scars are still fresh and a child’s future surgery costs are not obvious yet. Our job is to make sure the number on the table reflects the real value of what happened. Free consultation. No fee unless we win.
Or take our free case quiz →Attorney Advertising. Scranton Law Firm, 2450 Stanwell Dr, Concord, CA 94520. Responsible attorney: Christian Scranton, California State Bar #196959. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.