Dog Bite Injury Lawyer House Springs, MO
Dog Bite Injury Lawyer House Springs, MO. We love our pet dogs and may even go so far as to call them members of our family or fellow staff members. Many of us have dogs at home in House Springs, MO and we get a lot of joy from spending time with them. However, dogs are animals and do not have the ability to verbally communicate to us how they feel or what they are thinking. When a dog bites for whatever reason — they felt unsafe, were sick or in pain or were otherwise spurred to act on their instinct to attack — and you are hurt, you should be given a recovery. There are House Springs 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 happen in House Springs, 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 House Springs, MO dog bite injury lawyers represent each case with compassion and fervor. You did nothing to deserve to be injured and you should not have to suffer the consequences on your own. Our laws in Missouri offer you a path for recourse to collect a complete financial recovery for the full extent of the losses you have experienced as a result of your injuries, but in order to collect the full value of your damages, you are going to need help from a skilled House Springs, MO dob bite injury lawyer. Our distinguished team of attorneys have the experience and resources to make sure you are made whole again and allowed to move forward from this experience. Review your House Springs, MO case with Combs Waterkotte for free today. Begin your recovery by reaching us now.
What compensation can my House Springs, MO dog bite injury lawyer help me receive?
Each dog bite injury case in the House Springs, MO area is different and it is normal to have a number of questions running through your mind after a dog hurts you. The amount in damages you could recover in your House Springs, MO dog bite case ranges anywhere from $10,000 in bites that cause minor but evident injuries to easily over $100,000 for bites that result in significant, lasting damage and costly medical bills. Remember, though, that to truly understand the possible settlement amount you can expect to receive in your House Springs, MO dog bite injuries, speak to a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in House Springs, MO about your case. Your compensation depends, in addition to other factors, on how extensive and debilitating your injuries and other damages are.
Types of damages available in your House Springs, MO dog bite injury case include:
- Medical expenses
- 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 recover is determined by a combination of a variety of variables, including whether or not you hire a lawyer in House Springs, MO. It is important to note that a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in House Springs, MO 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 Combs Waterkotte will not bill you for anything unless your House Springs, MO dog bite injury lawyer wins 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 House Springs, MO area work on your case at no out-of-pocket costs to you. You have nothing to lose by contacting our House Springs, 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 House Springs, 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 cause permanent scarring and disfigurement settle for closer to $100,000 and dog bites that result in permanent disability can result in settlements of over $200,000.
While we wish we could promise an exact number, these averages do not guarantee anything in your particular case. In order to understand the complexities of your unique case and learn what to expect from your recovery, you need to speak to a dog bite injury lawyer in House Springs, MO. Trust the House Springs, MO dog bite attorneys of Combs Waterkotte and ask us for a free review of your dog bite injury case now.
Factors That Affect the Value of a Dog Bite Case
Factors related to the dog bite that can affect the value of your claim include:
- The dog bite leaves visible scarring or disfigurement.
- Your injuries have caused permanent disability.
- You need emergency medical care due to your dog bite injuries.
- Your injuries require you to undergo surgery or receive other extensive medical care.
- You required mental health treatment for the psychological injuries you suffered due to the dog bite.
When you hire Combs Waterkotte, your House Springs, 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 collecting evidence, determining liability and building an infallible case to make sure you get the best possible outcome in your House Springs, MO dog bite injury claim.
In addition to the situation surrounding the accident and the extent of your injuries, the total recovery your House Springs, MO dog bite injury lawyer can get you is also related to other factors, such as:
- Who is liable for the dog bite
- The insurance coverage policy limits
- The sum of the economic damages you have suffered as a result of the bite, including the total cost of all of your medical bills
- How your dog bite injury lawyer calculates 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 around three times higher for plaintiffs who hire a dog bite injury lawyer for representation than for plaintiffs in dog bite cases who attempt to settle their case on their own. Discover how Combs Waterkotte can help you collect a higher, more just settlement in your House Springs, MO dog bite case by reaching us at (314) 900-HELP today to ask an experienced House Springs, MO dog bite injury lawyer about your case.
House Springs, MO Dog Bite Injury Lawyer: Determining Liability
To settle your case at a sum that makes you whole after the losses you have suffered following a dog bite incident, you will need to work with your House Springs, MO dog bite injury lawyer to figure out who is legally responsible for the damages you have suffered and, thus, who to hold accountable for your suffering.
Liability in a dog bite or any personal injury case describes who is responsible for your losses. With a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in House Springs, MO, you have a professional who knows Missouri law and has first-hand experience with a variety of situations related to liability in personal injury cases including dog bite injuries. We help you hold the right people accountable and make sure they pay for the damages you have suffered.
In Missouri, Revised Statute Section 273.036 makes our state one that practices 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. In application, it means that your House Springs, MO dog bite injury attorney does not necessarily have to demonstrate that the owner of the dog that bit you was negligent or had the dog attack you on purpose. In your Missouri dog bite injury case, all you need to prove is that you were injured and it was the owner’s dog that injured you. In more certain terms, the Missouri statute lays out that the House Springs or Missouri dog bite owner is liable for your injuries if:
- you were injured as a result of a dog bite;
- you were on the property lawfully when you were bitten (in other words, you were not trespassing); and
- you did nothing to provoke the dog to attack.
If you were not trespassing and a dog bit you unprovoked, your Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in House Springs, MO can get you an excellent recovery 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 pays out the settlement for 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 their duty to keep you safe. 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 seen as negligent and your Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer can fight to hold them accountable in a negligence case. A property owner or landlord could be partly liable for your injuries in they knew or should have known about a broken latch on the gate to a normally fenced-in yard and failed to fix it, allowing a dog to get out and attack.
- Negligence per se: Negligence per se refers to liability that is assigned automatically through the act of breaking a law. Rather than proving that the defendant did not act with care as a reasonable person would, your House Springs, MO dog bite lawyer proves that the person is liable for your injuries by default because they broke a law that was meant to keep you safe. For example, certain towns 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?
Because of the possibility of additional claims of negligence beyond the strict liability statute in Missouri, it is possible that you have other cases against other defendants other than the owner of the dog. Depending on considerations such as who was present, where the bite happened, and how the parties behaved, your dog bite injury lawyer in House Springs, MO may identify additional responsible parties in your House Springs, MO dog bite case, like:
- Landlords
- Stores
- Employers
- Government organizations
- Dog walkers
- Places of business where dogs are present, such as pet stores, dog daycare facilities, etc.
If you or someone you love have been injured in a dog bite incident and you suspect that someone beyond the owner is to blame, or that the owner has more blame than strict liability covers, take the first step toward your recovery and speak to a dog bite injury lawyer in House Springs, MO about your case as soon as possible. Combs Waterkotte is equipped with a team of exceptional House Springs, MO dog bite injury attorneys willing to fight for your recovery and hold the right parties accountable. You did nothing to deserve being attacked by a dog, and you should be made whole through all avenues of compensation Missouri law provides. The legal team at Combs Waterkotte will get you a just recovery. Call us now at (314) 900-HELP.
Our House Springs, MO attorneys can help you seek justice in any type of personal injury or criminal case. Some of our practice area specialties include:
Dog Bite Injury Lawyer House Springs, Missouri: Hire a Lawyer Today
After facing the unexpected tragedy of a dog bite injury, a dog bite injury lawyer in House Springs, MO with Combs Waterkotte will work hard to bring you 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 receive the recovery you deserve by consulting with an accomplished House Springs, MO dog bite injury lawyer today.
As your dog bite injury lawyer, we make it our mission to secure just compensation for you after suffering the harm of something like a dog bite attack. 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.