Dog Bite Injury Lawyer De Soto, MO
Dog Bite Injury Lawyer De Soto, MO. Dogs are beloved pets and, to some, even considered members of our family or fellow staff members. A lot of us have dogs at home in De Soto, MO and we get a lot of joy from spending time with them. However, dogs are still animals and do not have the ability to verbally communicate to us how they feel or what they are thinking. Whether they felt threatened, were sick or for one reason or another were prompted to act on their instincts to attack, when a dog bites you, you should be compensated. There are De Soto and Missouri laws in place and many things responsible pet owners can do to mitigate the risk of an attack, but dog bites and dog bite injuries still occur in De Soto, MO. When it happens to you or a loved one, it is our job to ensure that you get a fair recovery.
If your or someone you love has been harmed by a dog that bit, contact Combs Waterkotte today at (314) 900-HELP. Our De Soto, MO dog bite injury lawyers handle each case fervently and with great care and dedication. You did not deserve to be injured and it would be unjust to leave you to suffer the consequences on your own. Our laws in Missouri offer you a path for recourse to recover full compensation for the full extent of the losses you have experienced as a result of your injuries, but for a chance to receive just compensation, you are going to need help from a skilled De Soto, MO dob bite injury lawyer. Our team of competitive attorneys have the experience and resources to make sure you are made whole again and allowed to move forward from this experience. Discuss your De Soto, MO case with Combs Waterkotte today in a complementary consultation today. Start by contacting us now.
What compensation can my De Soto, MO dog bite injury lawyer help me receive?
Each dog bite injury case in the De Soto, MO area is unique and it is normal to have a number of questions running through your mind after being injured by a dog. The amount in damages you could recover in your De Soto, MO dog bite case ranges anywhere from $10,000 for minor but evident injuries to well over $100,000 for bites that cause more serious, long-term damage and expensive medical care. However, to find out what kind of settlement you can recover for your De Soto, MO dog bite claim, speak to a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in De Soto, MO about your case. Your compensation depends, in addition to other factors, on the extent of the damages or losses you have experienced.
Types of damages available in your De Soto, MO dog bite injury case include:
- Medical costs
- Ambulance bill
- Emergency room fees
- Hospital stay costs
- Doctors’ bills
- Surgery
- Treatment costs
- Prescriptions
- Physical therapy, chiropractic, and other outpatient care
- Mental health counseling
- Physical pain
- Emotional and psychological suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Lost wages
- Lost future earning capacity
- Loss of benefits
The final dollar amount you collect depends greatly on a variety of variables, including whether you hire an experienced De Soto, MO lawyer. Remember that a dog bite injury lawyer in De Soto, MO like a member of the Combs Waterkotte team will only agree to represent you if they can add value to your case and help you recover more than you could by yourself. This includes our contingency-fee model, which means that your Combs Waterkotte De Soto, MO dog bite injury lawyer will not charge you anything unless we win your case. At that point, we accept payment through a percentage of your total settlement once you receive your payment. That means our experienced dog bite injury lawyers in the De Soto, MO area work on your case at no out-of-pocket costs to you. There is no reason not to speak to our De Soto, MO dog bite injury lawyer team about your case to find out if we can help.
How much is my case worth if I hire a dog bite injury lawyer in De Soto, MO?
On average, a victim in a dog bite injury case can recover about $40,000 for a “severe but typical dog bite injury”, while dog bites that leave disfiguring scars settle for closer to $100,000 and dog bites that result in permanent disability can result in settlements of over $200,000.
Unfortunately, these numbers are not guarantees in your particular case. Because your recovery depends on the unique circumstances and characteristics of your individual case, it is important that you speak to a dog bite injury lawyer in De Soto, MO. Turn to the De Soto, MO dog bite attorneys of Combs Waterkotte and ask us to review your dog bite injury case now.
Factors That Influence the Value of a Dog Bite Case
Factors related to the dog bite that can affect the value of your claim include:
- You have scarring or are disfigured as a result of the dog bite.
- The dog bite has made you permanently disabled.
- Your dog bite injuries necessitated emergency medical attention.
- You had to receive surgery or other significant medical treatments for your injuries.
- You suffered psychological harm from the dog bite incident that required professional mental health treatment.
When you hire Combs Waterkotte, your De Soto, MO dog bite injury lawyer will remain committed to investigating and proving the statements above that apply in your case. We put the full weight of our resources behind obtaining evidence, evaluating liability and building a strong case to get you an excellent result in your De Soto, MO dog bite injury claim.
Beyond the circumstances of the accident and the severity of your injuries, the total compensation your De Soto, MO dog bite injury lawyer can get you is also related to other factors, such as:
- Who is liable for the dog bite
- The liable party’s insurance coverage policy limits
- The total economic losses you have suffered as a result of the bite, including the cost of your medical expenses
- How your dog bite injury lawyer calculates the value of your non-economic damages
- How effectively your dog bite injury lawyer negotiates and how resistant the defendant is
On average, settlements in dog bite attacks and other personal injury cases are threefold for plaintiffs who hire a dog bite injury lawyer to represent them in their claim than for those who attempt to settle their case without legal representation. Discover how Combs Waterkotte can help you collect a higher, more just settlement in your De Soto, MO dog bite case by calling us at (314) 900-HELP today to go over your case with a knowledgeable De Soto, MO dog bite injury lawyer.
De Soto, MO Dog Bite Injury Lawyer: Determining Who Is Liable
To receive a complete settlement that makes you whole after the losses you have suffered following a dog bite incident, you will need a dog bite injury lawyer in De Soto, MO you can trust to help you determine who to file a claim against and who, in turn, is responsible for your damages.
The idea of liability in a dog bite or any personal injury case has to do with who is responsible for your damages. With a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in De Soto, MO, you have a professional who is well-acquainted with Missouri law and has seen many different situations regarding liability in personal injury cases including dog bite injuries. We help you hold the right people accountable and make sure they pay for the losses you have experienced.
In Missouri, Revised Statute Section 273.036 puts into effect a practice of strict liability in dog bite injury cases. Strict liabillity assigns legal accountability to a party — in this case, the dog owner — irrespective of their intention or whether there was fault. That means that your De Soto, MO dog bite injury attorney does not need to show that the owner of the dog that bit you was negligent or had the dog attack you on purpose. To win your Missouri dog bite injury case, you only need to show that you were injured and that the owner’s dog bit you. In more certain terms, the Missouri statute lays out that the De Soto or Missouri dog bite owner is legally responsible for your injuries if:
- you were injured by a dog bite;
- you were on the property lawfully when you were bitten (in other words, you were not trespassing); and
- you did not provoke the dog to attack.
If you were bitten by a dog that you did not provoke and you were not trespassing, your Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in De Soto, MO will work to get you a fair settlement in your strict liability claim against the owner of the dog, and most of the time it is the dog owner’s homeowners or renters insurance that will cover the cost of your damages. However, you may have claims against other parties under other types of liability standards, too.
- Negligence: You may have a negligence claim if a person was negligent, either through an action or omission, in upholding their duty of care to you. Someone who allows a dog to run free through the neighborhood unsupervised or fails to crate their anxious dog when they are expecting visitors to their home could be considered negligent and your Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer will diligently hold them accountable in a negligence claim. If a property owner or landlord was aware of but neglected to fix a broken fence and a tenant’s dog got out of the property and bit someone, the landlord may be negligent.
- Negligence per se: Negligence per se refers to liability that is assigned automatically through the act of breaking a law. Rather than comparing the defendant’s behavior to that of a reasonable person in the same situation, your De Soto, MO dog bite lawyer can show that the defendant is liable for your injuries by default because they broke a law that was meant to keep you safe. For example, certain cities and municipalities have laws that require owners to keep their dogs on leashes or prohibit dogs from being on others’ properties without the property owner’s permission. If the person in possession of the dog broke one of these rules and their dog bit you, you may have a case of negligence per se.
Who is responsible for my dog bite injuries?
Due to the possibility of additional claims of negligence outside of Missouri’s strict liability policy, you may have a case against other parties other than the owner of the dog. Depending on considerations such as the parties that were present, where the bite happened, and what the parties in question did or did not do, your dog bite injury lawyer in De Soto, MO may build a case against other inidividuals in your De Soto, MO dog bite case, like:
- Landlords
- Stores
- Employers
- Government organizations
- Dog walkers
- Businesses where dogs are present, such as pet stores, dog daycare facilities, etc.
If you or someone you love were bitten by a dog but you believe that additional parties share the blame or that the owner has more blame than strict liability covers, act right away and speak to a dog bite injury lawyer in De Soto, MO about your case as soon as possible. Combs Waterkotte has a team of exceptional De Soto, MO dog bite injury attorneys ready to fight for your recovery and make the right parties pay. You did not deserve to be attacked or harmed, and you should be allowed to recover through all legal remedies Missouri law provides. Let Combs Waterkotte help you get a just recovery. Call us now at (314) 900-HELP.
Our De Soto, MO attorneys can help you seek justice in any type of personal injury or criminal case. The types of cases we take on include but are not limited to:
Dog Bite Injury Lawyer De Soto, Missouri: Talk to a Lawyer Now
After facing the unexpected tragedy of a dog bite injury, a dog bite injury lawyer in De Soto, MO with Combs Waterkotte can help you seek justice. A dog bite can be quite traumatic, often leaving you with lasting physical and mental scars that can affect your life in profound, unrelenting ways. You have a chance to be made whole again by speaking to an accomplished De Soto, MO dog bite injury lawyer today.
As your dog bite injury lawyer, we make it our mission to secure just compensation for you when a life-changing incident such as a dog attack causes you harm. After being bitten and injured by a dog, call Combs Waterkotte right away at (314) 900-HELP or send us a message to discover how we can help you with your case.