Dog Bite Nerve Damage in California: Injuries, Treatment, and Your Legal Claim

Dog bite nerve damage can be significant. Treatment may take months or years, or you may never fully recover.

You may receive compensation. Our experienced San Bernardino dog bite lawyers at LA Century Law explains dog bite injuries, treatment, and your legal rights.

Dog Bite Nerve Damages – Serious Injuries for Adults and Children

One study found that up to 10% of dog bite injury victims suffer nerve, tendon, or vessel injury. Another study found that 8.9% of adults who have a dog bite to the hand or upper limb suffer nerve injury.

Nerve damage from dog bites is more common in adults than in children, but both groups experience dog bite nerve damage in significant numbers.

Your legal rights

Dog bite nerve damage is a serious injury. It can impair body function and movement. It can cause pain.

If you have nerve damage from a dog bite, you may qualify for financial compensation. Because nerve damage can be costly, painful, and impairing, your compensation amount may be significant.

To receive compensation, you must bring a claim.

How Dog Bites Cause Nerve Damage

In the nervous system, special cells send signals back and forth. It’s how the brain communicates with the body. The peripheral nerves send signals to and from the brain through the spinal cord. With the information it receives, the brain decides how to move and act.

A dog bite can physically disrupt these communication channels. When a dog bite occurs, the dog may crush nerve tissue with its teeth. The dog may tear tissues away. The trauma of a dog bite can slice, compress and stretch the nerves.

Types of Nerve Damage Resulting from Dog Attacks

Dog attacks can cause several types of nerve damage:

Neuropraxia.

Neuropraxia is an injury to the peripheral nerves of the arms and legs. The nerves are stretched or compressed, but they’re generally still intact. The injury, and any resulting inflammation, can temporarily block signal transmission. Generally, neuropraxia heals over time.

Axonotmesis.

Axonotmesis is when the outer nerve tissue is still intact, but both the nerve axon and protective tissue are damaged. Axonotmesis is more severe than neuropraxia because the damage is more severe. Recovery is possible in some cases, but it depends on the injury and the patient’s overall health. Recovery is commonly limited to below pre-injury functioning.

Neurotmesis.

Neurotmesis is the complete shearing of the axon and its protective tissue. The trauma causes sensory loss and motor loss in the affected area. It is the most severe type of nerve damage from dog bites.

Neuropathy.

Dog bite trauma can cause neuropathy, or chronic nerve pain. Neuropathy can occur when the nerve doesn’t return to pre-trauma function. Symptoms of neuropathy include unusual sensations such as tingling and burning, muscle weakness, poor balance, digestive abnormalities, and changes in blood pressure. Nerves don’t have to be completely severed for neuropathy to occur.

Central nervous system injury.

Central nervous system injury is damage to the brain or spinal cord. Central nervous system cells have a limited ability to repair themselves. Trauma to neurons and surrounding tissues can impair thinking, sensation, and movement. Impact on body function and mental processing can be severe.

Symptoms of Dog Bite Nerve Damage to Watch For

Symptoms of nerve damage from dog bites may include:

• Numbness, tingling
• Motor weakness
• Loss of touch
• Inability to feel hot or cold
• Poor balance, bad coordination
• Burning pain
• Sharp pain
• Muscle cramps
• Twitching
• Sensitivity to light or touch
• Blood pressure changes
• Loss of bladder control
• Digestive issues
• Unusual sweating
• Shortness of breath

Dog bite nerve damage can be hard to identify. Symptoms may appear unrelated, like digestive issues. The nerves are part of many functions in the body, including voluntary movement and bodily functions we don’t always think about, like breathing. If you notice unusual body function after a dog bite, nerve damage may be worth investigating.

Treatment Options for Dog Bite Nerve Damage

To treat nerve damage from a dog bite, doctors identify the damage, stabilize it, and support its regeneration. Treatment may include:

Surgery. Surgery may reconnect communication channels, decompress nerves, or block abnormal signaling.

Medication. Prescription medication may stabilize abnormal electrical signaling.

Physical therapy. Muscle strength and stretching may relieve symptoms.

Braces and splints. To keep the nerves in place and reduce nerve pressure.

Electrical stimulation (ES). To speed up nerve growth, improve circulation, and support muscle function.

Overall wellness. Addressing blood sugar issues and vitamin deficiencies to prevent further degradation.

Healthy lifestyle. Regular exercise, healthy eating, quitting smoking and alcohol, and supportive footwear.

How Nerve Damage Affects Dog Bite Settlement Value in California

Nerve damage can be part of a dog bite settlement in California. It is one factor in the value of a claim.

Your dog bite nerve damage compensation may include all ways that you are affected by your injury. For example, medical costs can be claimed, including surgery, medication, medical devices, and physical therapy. Lost income from injuries can count, too. In addition, you may claim compensation for the personal impact, such as pain and suffering, emotional anguish, and loss of mobility.

All your losses can be documented and included in a claim.

In addition to injuries, other factors may impact the claim’s value. An experienced lawyer can explain the potential value of your claim and what you can do to maximize your award.

California’s Strict Liability Rule and Your Nerve Damage Claim

California’s dog bite law is strict liability. The one-bite rule doesn’t apply. You don’t have to prove that the dog had aggressive tendencies or even that the dog owner did anything wrong.

That’s helpful because you can focus on proving who owned the dog and what your injuries are, like nerve damage.

More from LA Century Law: California Dog Bite Laws

Talk to LA Century Law About Your Dog Bite Nerve Damage Claim

If you have nerve damage from a dog bite, please contact LA Century Law. We’re a premier personal injury law firm. We handle dog bite claims, including claims that involve nerve injuries.

Get legal help today. Contact us now.