Dog Bite Injury Lawyer St. Clair, MO

Dog Bite Injury Lawyer St. Clair, 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 St. Clair, 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. 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 St. Clair 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 St. Clair, MO. When it happens to you or a loved one, we hare here to ensure that you get a fair recovery.

If your or your family member has been harmed by a dog that bit, call Combs Waterkotte today at (314) 900-HELP. Our St. Clair, MO dog bite injury lawyers handle each case with compassion and fervor. You did not 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 recover full compensation for the full extent of the losses you have experienced because of your injuries, but for a chance to collect the full value of your damages, you are going to need help from a skilled St. Clair, MO dob bite injury lawyer. Our team of competitive attorneys have the experience and resources to get you full compensation that will restore you after been harmed. Discuss your St. Clair, MO case with Combs Waterkotte for free today. Begin your recovery by reaching us now.

What compensation can I get with the help of a dog bite injury lawyer in St. Clair, MO?

Every St. Clair, MO dog bite injury claim is different and you are likely to have a number of questions running through your mind after a dog hurts you. The value of a dog bite claim in St. Clair, MO could be anywhere from $10,000 for minor but demonstrable injuries to more than $100,000 for bites that cause significant, long-term damage and expensive medical care. Remember, though, that to find out what kind of settlement you can recover for your St. Clair, MO dog bite claim, speak to a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in St. Clair, 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 a dog bite injury case in St. Clair, MO include:

The total sum you collect depends greatly on a variety of factors, including whether you hire an experienced St. Clair, MO lawyer. It is important to note that a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in St. Clair, 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 on your own. This also takes into account our contingency-fee model, which means that your Combs Waterkotte St. Clair, MO dog bite injury lawyer will not charge you anything unless we win your case. Then, at the end of the case, we collect a percent of your full settlement. That means our experienced dog bite injury lawyers in the St. Clair, MO area work on your case at no out-of-pocket costs to you. There is no reason not to speak to our St. Clair, MO dog bite injury lawyer team to discuss your case and learn how we can help.

How much can I get for my case with a dog bite injury lawyer in St. Clair, MO?

The average dog bite injury settlement is 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 permanent disabilities caused by dog bites can result in settlements of over $200,000.

While we wish we could promise an exact number, these averages do not guarantee anything for your particular case outcome. In order to understand the complexities of your unique case and learn what to expect from your recovery, it is important that you talk to a dog bite injury lawyer in St. Clair, MO about your case. Trust the St. Clair, MO dog bite attorneys of Combs Waterkotte and contact us to review your dog bite injury case today.

Factors That Influence 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.
• The dog bite has made you permanently disabled.
• Your dog bite injuries necessitated emergency medical attention.
• 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.

When you hire Combs Waterkotte, your St. Clair, 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 trracking down evidence, examining liability and building an infallible argument to make sure you get an excellent outcome in your St. Clair, MO dog bite injury claim.

Beyond the circumstances of the accident and the severity of your injuries, the total sum your St. Clair, 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 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 assesses and calculates the value of your non-economic damages
• The ability of your dog bite injury lawyer to negotiate a settlement for your case

On average, settlements in dog bite attacks and other personal injury cases are threefold for plaintiffs who hire a dog bite injury lawyer for representation than for plaintiffs who try to reach a settlement on their own. Find out if Combs Waterkotte can help you collect a higher, more just settlement in your St. Clair, MO dog bite case by calling us at (314) 900-HELP today to ask an experienced St. Clair, MO dog bite injury lawyer about your case.

St. Clair, MO Dog Bite Injury Lawyer: Determining Liability

In order to settle your case at a sum that can help you move forward in life after the losses you have suffered following a dog bite incident, you will need to work with your St. Clair, MO dog bite injury lawyer to determine who to file a claim against and who, in turn, is responsible for your damages.

Liability in a dog bite or any personal injury case describes who is at fault for your damages. With a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in St. Clair, MO, you have a professional who is well-acquainted with Missouri law and has first-hand experience with a variety of situations regarding liability in personal injury cases including dog bite injuries. We will make sure we hold the right people accountable and make sure they pay for the damages 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 is a legal policy that names a party accountable — in this case, the dog owner — irrespective of their intention or whether there was fault. In application, it means that your St. Clair, MO dog bite injury attorney does not necessarily have 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, 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 St. Clair 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 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 St. Clair, MO will work to get you an excellent settlement in your strict liability claim against the dog’s owner, 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 in their actions or failure to act, in upholding their duty of care to you. Someone who allows a dog to run free through the neighborhood unsupervised or does not put their large, aggressive dog away when strangers or children visit their home could be considered 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 St. Clair, MO dog bite lawyer proves that the defendant is liable for your injuries by default because they broke a law that was meant to keep you safe. For example, some cities and municipalities have laws that require owners to keep their dogs on leashes or ban dogs from being on others’ properties without the property owner’s permission. If the person in possession of 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?

Due to the potential for negligence claims outside of 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 present, where the bite occurred, and what the parties in question did or did not do, your dog bite injury lawyer in St. Clair, MO may identify additional responsible inidividuals in your St. Clair, MO dog bite case, such as:

• Landlords
• Stores
• Employers
• Government organizations
• Dog walkers
• Businesses where dogs are present, such as pet stores, dog daycare facilities, etc.

If you or a loved one were bitten by a dog but you believe that someone beyond the owner is to blame, or that the owner has more blame than strict liability accounts for, act right away and speak to a dog bite injury lawyer in St. Clair, MO about your case as soon as possible. Combs Waterkotte is equipped with a dedicated team of talented St. Clair, MO dog bite injury attorneys ready 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. Let Combs Waterkotte help you get the recovery you deserve. Call us now at (314) 900-HELP.

Our St. Clair, 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 St. Clair, Missouri: Hire a Lawyer Today

When you or a loved one are suddenly thrown off course by way of an unexpected dog bite injury, a dog bite injury lawyer in St. Clair, 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. Give yourself a chance to be made whole again by speaking to an accomplished St. Clair, 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 learn how we can help you with your case.