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Jefferson County, MO

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Posted by Emily Herr on March 23, 2022

Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Jefferson County, MO

Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Jefferson County, MO. We love our pet dogs and may even go so far as to call them family members or honorary coworkers. A lot of us have dogs at home in Jefferson County, MO and interacting with any dog can bring us a lot of joy. However, dogs are animals and cannot communicate with us verbally. 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 given a recovery. There are Jefferson County 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 Jefferson County, MO. When it happens to you or a loved one, it is our job to help you recover fair compensation.

If your or your family member has been harmed by a dog that bit, contact Combs Waterkotte today at (314) 900-HELP. Our Jefferson County, MO dog bite injury lawyers represent each case with compassion and fervor. 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 collect a complete financial recovery for the full extent of the losses you have suffered as a result of your injuries, but for a chance to receive just compensation, you will likely need an experienced Jefferson County, MO dog bite injury lawyer standing by you. Our team of competitive attorneys have the skills and resources to make sure you are made whole again and allowed to move forward from this experience. Review your Jefferson County, MO case with Combs Waterkotte today in a complementary consultation today. Begin by contacting us now.

What compensation can I get with the help of a dog bite injury lawyer in Jefferson County, MO?

Every Jefferson County, MO dog bite injury claim 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 Jefferson County, MO dog bite case ranges anywhere from $10,000 for minor but evident injuries to well over $100,000 for bites that cause severe, lasting damage and expensive medical bills. However, to truly understand the possible settlement amount you can expect to receive for your Jefferson County, MO dog bite claim, you must speak to a qualified St. Louis dog bite injury lawyer like the attorneys of Combs Waterkotte. Among other outside variables, the amount of compensation you can recovery depends on how extensive and debilitating your injuries and other damages are.

Damages you can recover in your Jefferson County, MO dog bite injury case include:

  • Medical expenses
    • Ambulance bill
    • Emergency room fees
    • Hospital stay costs
    • Doctors’ bills
    • Surgery
  • Costs of treatment
    • 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 many variables, including whether you hire an experienced Jefferson County, MO lawyer. It is important to note that a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Jefferson County, MO will not take on your case unless we can add value, meaning we will not agree to work for you unless we believe we can help you recover more money than you would be able to recover by yourself. This also takes into account our contingency-fee model, which means that Combs Waterkotte will not bill you for anything unless your Jefferson County, 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 Jefferson County, MO area work on your case at no out-of-pocket costs to you. You have nothing to lose by contacting our Jefferson County, MO dog bite injury lawyer team about your case to find out if we can help.

How much can I get for my case with a dog bite injury lawyer in Jefferson County, 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 permanent disabilities caused by dog bites can result in settlements of over $200,000.

Unfortunately, these numbers are not guarantees 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 talk to a dog bite injury lawyer in Jefferson County, MO about your case. Trust the Jefferson County, MO dog bite attorneys of Combs Waterkotte and contact us to review your dog bite injury case today.

Factors That Affect Your Settlement in 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 suffered psychological harm from the dog bite incident that required professional mental health treatment.

These are all facts of your case that your Combs Waterkotte Jefferson County, MO dog bite injury lawyer will work diligently to get to the bottom of and prove. We dedicate our full resources to trracking down evidence, evaluating liability and building an infallible argument to get you an excellent result in your Jefferson County, MO dog bite injury claim.

Beyond the circumstances of the accident and the extent of your injuries, the total sum your Jefferson County, MO dog bite injury lawyer can get you is also related to other factors, such as:

  • What party or parties are liable for the dog bite
  • The liable party’s 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 expenses
  • How your dog bite injury lawyer assesses and calculates your non-economic damages
  • How effectively your dog bite injury lawyer negotiates and how resistant the defendant is

On average, settlements in personal injury claims like dog attacks are around three times higher for plaintiffs who hire a dog bite injury lawyer for representation than for those in dog bite cases who attempt to reach a settlement on their own. Discover how Combs Waterkotte can help you collect a higher, more just settlement in your Jefferson County, MO dog bite case by calling us at (314) 900-HELP today to go over your case with a knowledgeable Jefferson County, MO dog bite injury lawyer.

Jefferson County, MO Dog Bite Injury Lawyer: Determining Who Is Liable

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 a dog bite injury lawyer in Jefferson County, MO you can trust to help you figure out who is legally responsible for the damages you have suffered and, thus, who to hold accountable for your suffering.

The idea of liability in a dog bite or any personal injury case describes who is responsible for your losses. A knowledgeable dog bite injury lawyer in Jefferson County, MO with Combs Waterkotte knows Missouri law and has seen many different situations regarding liability in dog bites and other personal injury cases. 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 is a legal policy that names a party accountable — in this case, the dog owner — regardless of fault or intention. In application, it means that your Jefferson County, 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. 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 Jefferson County or Missouri dog bite owner is liable for your injuries if:

  • you were injured as a result of a dog bite;
  • you were on public property or were on a private property legally (in other words, you were not trespassing); and
  • you did not provoke the dog to attack.

If you were not trespassing and a dog bit you unprovoked, your Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Jefferson County, MO will use our expertise to get you a fair 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 will cover the cost of your damages. However, there may be other types of liability and parties who are to blame for your dog bite injures, 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 lets their dog roam the neighborhood freely or does not put their large, aggressive dog away when strangers or children visit their home could be seen as negligent and your Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer can fight to 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 is when a party is legally liable by the act of breaking a law. Rather than proving that the defendant did not act with care as a reasonable person would, your Jefferson County, MO dog bite lawyer proves that the defendant is liable for your injuries by default because they broke a law that was meant to protect you. 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 permission from the property owner. If the person looking after or responsible for the dog violated one of these rules and that dog bit you, you may have a case of negligence per se.

Who is responsible for my dog bite injuries?

Because of the potential for negligence claims beyond Missouri’s strict liability policy, it is possible that you have other cases against other defendants in addition to the owner of the dog. Depending on the circumstances of who was involved, where the bite happened, and how the parties behaved, your dog bite injury lawyer in Jefferson County, MO may identify additional responsible inidividuals in your Jefferson County, MO dog bite case, such as:

  • 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 additional parties share the blame or that the owner has more blame than strict liability accounts for, take the first step toward your recovery and speak to a dog bite injury lawyer in Jefferson County, MO about your case as soon as possible. Combs Waterkotte has a team of exceptional Jefferson County, MO dog bite injury attorneys ready to fight for your recovery and hold the right parties accountable. You did not deserve to be attacked or harmed, and you should be allowed to recover through all avenues of compensation available to you under Missouri law. Let Combs Waterkotte help you get the recovery you deserve. Call us now at (314) 900-HELP.

Our Jefferson County, MO attorneys have the skill and experience necessary to bring you 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 Jefferson County, Missouri: Hire a Lawyer Now

After facing the unexpected tragedy of a dog bite injury, a dog bite injury lawyer in Jefferson County, MO with Combs Waterkotte can help you seek justice. A dog bite is usually a traumatic experience, and the physical and psychological injuries it leaves can affect your life in profound, unrelenting ways. Give yourself a chance to be made whole again by consulting with an accomplished Jefferson County, MO dog bite injury lawyer today.

As your dog bite injury lawyer, we are here to demand that you are justly compensated after suffering the harm of something like a dog bite attack. After you or someone you love have been injured by a dog bite, call Combs Waterkotte as soon as possible at (314) 900-HELP or reach us online to learn how we can help you with your case.

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