I Was Bit By A Dog While Delivering For Instacart

There are over half a million Instacart delivery drivers in the country, and a huge number of them work in California. Los Angeles is one of the largest cities in the country, making it a popular hub for Instacart drivers to work to achieve the best income in the hours they are willing to devote to this job. From the customer’s perspective, this grocery delivery service is the ideal way to maximize their productivity and still have time to cook healthy meals for loved ones.

While a job at Instacart is a win for all involved in most cases, there are times when the job can pose a significant safety risk to the delivery personnel. You might think this risk is because they devote many hours each day to driving around the city and facing challenging traffic and weather concerns. But the most harrowing experience most Instacart drivers face is an aggressive dog prowling the location of their delivery. In these instances, the driver is typically already out of their vehicle and could be making their way to the delivery site with their hands full of bags loaded with groceries. The parcels make it nearly impossible to successfully fend off an aggressive dog that is either hungry and smells food or is protecting the property.

Regardless of the reason for the encounter, the outcome for the Instacart employee is often a severe injury and one that can have lasting physical and emotional impact. In the best case, the dog lives at the house where the delivery is being made or nearby, and the owner can be contacted. However, in many cases, the dog is a stray or runaway, and there is no way to contact the owners, get information on the dog’s health, or contact animal control to secure the animal.

If you or a loved one were recently bit by a dog while delivering for Instacart, please know that you do not need to face the issues and challenges of this unfortunate incident alone. The dedicated team at Normandie Law Firm is just a call away. Our office staff is available to answer your questions and provide guidance 24/7, so you never need to worry about how you will get the help you need to cover the cost of medical care or assist you in paying bills if you are unable to return to work immediately. In addition, our staff will offer to book your free consultation with a skilled Instacart dog bite injury attorney at Normandie Law Firm to discuss your case in more detail.

After sharing the facts of the dog bite incident, our expert will help you understand the legal merit of your claim, if you have grounds for a dog bite injury lawsuit, and if a claim with worker’s compensation is the best way for you to get rapid help covering your costs and expenses. With this valuable information, you will be well-prepared to make crucial choices about how you will get the compensation or benefits that are owed to you for the harm caused by the dog bite. In addition, you can find added comfort and confidence in knowing that you are never obligated to hire Normandie Law Firm, even if you decide to pursue legal action. Our only purpose is ensuring you understand your rights and how to protect yourself and future financial stability. But we ask that you contact our staff quickly as there are time limits to take action.

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Worker’s Compensation Offers Many Benefits
Workers who are hurt on the job, including those working for delivery services like Instacart, are fortunate to be covered by one of the most helpful and robust worker’s comp programs in the nation. All employers are legally obligated to participate in the program and pay the full cost of providing this accident insurance to their workers. If you get hurt while working, you have the right to open a worker’s comp claim to secure benefits to help you overcome the financial hardships created by the injuries you suffered, such as harm from a dog bite.

The program provides medical care coverage up to $1,000,000 per workplace injury incident. In most cases, your medical care providers will bill their services directly to the program when you explain that the injuries are the result of a workplace dog bite. The coverage includes everything from doctor’s bills and your hospital stay to prescription medication and essential medical devices needed during your recovery process. The program will also reimburse you for up to 66% of your regular weekly income if you are unable to work while recovering.

Added payments and free vocational training can be provided to victims who suffer permanent disabilities or must find another kind of job due to physical limitations caused by dog bite injuries. The most vital piece of information to understand is that as long as your dog bite injuries occurred while on a delivery for Instacart, you can seek help from California worker’s compensation.

Can I File A Lawsuit To Seek Additional Compensation?
If you can determine who owns the dog that bit you, there are more options open to secure compensation for your losses and expenses. California is a strict liability state with regard to dogs. That means the owner of a dog is almost always responsible for any injuries or harm caused by the animal. Unless you are trespassing or hurting a dog, the owner will be legally obligated to cover any expenses or losses caused by dog bite injuries.

In cases where you have the ability to sue the dog owner, you can seek added compensation beyond the benefits paid by worker’s comp, or you can decline the benefits of worker’s comp and seek complete compensation from the person who owns the dog that bit you. The choice is always yours to make, and your Normandie Law Firm legal team will assist you in pursuing the action that you feel will best meet your immediate and long-term needs.

How Much Is A Dog Bite While Delivering For Instacart Lawsuit Worth?
You will not be able to sue for any expenses or losses that were covered by a worker’s compensation claim. However, you can sue for losses and expenses not covered by the program. If you are not using worker’s comp, the typical items included in your lawsuit compensation calculation will be:

• All current and estimated future medical expenses related to the dog bite injuries
• The cost of all legal services to prepare, file, and litigate your Instacart delivery dog bite injury lawsuit
• The replacement cost of any personal property that was damaged or destroyed in the Instacart delivery dog bite incident
• Your lost income if the injuries suffered prevent you from working at Instacart until you have made a full recovery
• In cases that involve lengthy recovery processes, the victim is also permitted to seek added compensation for their pain and suffering

If you do open a worker’s compensation claim for the dog bite incident, you are still able to file a lawsuit against the owner of the dog to secure expenses and losses not covered by the program, such as the personal items damaged in the dog bite incident, your legal costs for the lawsuit, pain and suffering and any remaining lost income that is not covered by your worker’s comp reimbursement. Please get in touch with Normandie Law Firm today to discuss the incident and your options to seek compensation and benefits to overcome the challenges of this painful and upsetting event.

How Long Do I Have To Take Action?
To open a worker’s compensation claim, you must contact the program and provide the necessary information to begin the claim within 30 days of your injury incident. In some cases, a representative of Instacart will contact the program to provide information and begin the claim on your behalf. But ultimately, it is your responsibility to contact California worker’s comp to ensure the claim is open and will provide you with the benefits you need and deserve. If you wait longer than 30 days after the dog bite incident to open a claim, it will be immediately denied, and you will receive no benefits from the program.

When filing a personal injury lawsuit due to a dog bite, you have two years from the date of the injury to file the claim with the court. If you wait too long and file after the two years have passed, the claim will be denied as you lose the right to file a lawsuit after more than two years have passed since suffering your injuries. It is also vital to understand that there are very limited exceptions to this time limit that would provide additional time to file a lawsuit after the two years have passed. Please reach out to Normandie Law Firm today to learn more about these time limits and the time needed to prepare your dog bite injury lawsuit.

No Upfront Legal Fees At Normandie Law Firm
When you work with Normandie Law Firm, you will be relieved to confirm that we never charge legal fees or expenses until your cases are completed. At that time, you will have the compensation needed to cover those costs without suffering added financial challenges. In addition, if the Normandie Law Firm Instacart delivery dog bite attorneys fail to win your case and deliver compensation, you owe the firm nothing for its time and investment in preparing your lawsuit. Please do not hesitate to contact Normandie Law Firm today to learn more about these options to help you overcome the issues and challenges created when you were bit by a dog while delivering for Instacart.

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How To Report A Dog Bite To Animal Control In San Bernardino County
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