Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Ste. Genevieve, MO
Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Ste. Genevieve, MO. We love our pet dogs and may even go so far as to call them members of our family or fellow staff members. A lot of us have pet dogs in Ste. Genevieve, 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 Ste. Genevieve 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 take place in Ste. Genevieve, 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 your family member has been harmed by a dog that bit, call Combs Waterkotte today at (314) 900-HELP. Our Ste. Genevieve, MO dog bite injury lawyers handle each case with compassion and fervor. You did nothing to deserve to be injured and you should not have to deal with the consequences on your own. Missouri law provides a path for you to collect a complete financial recovery for the damages and losses you have suffered because of your injuries, but in order to receive just compensation, you are going to need help from a skilled Ste. Genevieve, MO dob bite injury lawyer. Our distinguished team of attorneys have the skills and resources to make sure you are made whole again and allowed to move forward from this experience. Discuss your Ste. Genevieve, MO case with Combs Waterkotte for free today. Start by reaching us now.
What compensation can I get with the help of a dog bite injury lawyer in Ste. Genevieve, MO?
Every dog bite injury case in the Ste. Genevieve, MO area is different and you are likely to experience anxiety and uncertainly about your case after a dog hurts you. The value of a dog bite claim in Ste. Genevieve, MO could be anywhere from $10,000 in bites that cause minor but evident injuries to well over $100,000 for bites that cause significant, permanent damage and expensive medical bills. However, to truly understand what kind of settlement you can recover in your Ste. Genevieve, MO dog bite case, you must speak to a qualified St. Louis dog bite injury lawyer like the attorneys of Combs Waterkotte. 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 Ste. Genevieve, 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 total sum you recover depends greatly on a variety of factors, including whether or not you hire a lawyer in Ste. Genevieve, MO. It is important to note that a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Ste. Genevieve, 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 includes our contingency-fee model, which means that your Combs Waterkotte Ste. Genevieve, 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 Ste. Genevieve, MO area work on your case at no out-of-pocket costs to you. There is no reason not to speak to our Ste. Genevieve, 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 Ste. Genevieve, MO?
The average dog bite injury settlement is 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.
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 Ste. Genevieve, MO about your case. Trust the Ste. Genevieve, MO dog bite attorneys of Combs Waterkotte and contact us for a free review of your dog bite injury case today.
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.
- You had to receive surgery or other significant medical treatments for your injuries.
- You required mental health treatment for the psychological injuries you suffered due to the dog bite.
When you hire Combs Waterkotte, your Ste. Genevieve, 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 a strong argument to make sure you get an excellent outcome in your Ste. Genevieve, MO dog bite injury claim.
Beyond the circumstances of the accident and the severity of your injuries, the total sum your Ste. Genevieve, MO dog bite injury lawyer can secure for you is also related to other factors, such as:
- Who is liable for the dog bite
- The insurance coverage policy limits
- The total economic losses you have suffered as a result of the bite, including the cost of your medical bills
- 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 to represent them in their claim than for plaintiffs who try to settle their case on their own. Find out if Combs Waterkotte can help you collect a higher, more just settlement in your Ste. Genevieve, MO dog bite case by reaching us at (314) 900-HELP today to go over your case with a knowledgeable Ste. Genevieve, MO dog bite injury lawyer.
Ste. Genevieve, MO Dog Bite Injury Lawyer: Determining Liability
In order to settle your case at a sum that makes you whole after being harmed in a dog bite incident, you will need a dog bite injury lawyer in Ste. Genevieve, MO you can trust to help you determine 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 at fault for your losses. With a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Ste. Genevieve, MO, you have a professional who is well-acquainted with Missouri law and has seen many different situations related to liability in dog bites and other personal injury cases. We will make sure we 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 their intention or whether there was fault. That means that your Ste. Genevieve, MO dog bite injury attorney does not necessarily have to demonstrate that the owner of the dog that bit you was negligent or that they intentionally allowed the dog to attack you. In your Missouri dog bite injury case, you only need to show that you were injured and it was the owner’s dog that injured you. Specifically, the Missouri statute lays out that the Ste. Genevieve or Missouri dog bite owner is legally responsible 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 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 Ste. Genevieve, MO can get you an excellent recovery in your strict liability claim against the owner of the dog, and typically 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 their duty to keep you safe. Someone who lets their dog roam the neighborhood freely 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 case. 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 Ste. Genevieve, 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 in place mandating that people keep dogs on leashes while off their own property or prohibit dogs from being on others’ properties without permission from the property owner. 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 potential for negligence claims beyond Missouri’s strict liability policy, it is possible that you have other cases against other parties in addition to the owner of the dog. Depending on considerations such as who was involved, where the bite occurred, and how the parties behaved, your dog bite injury lawyer in Ste. Genevieve, MO may identify additional responsible defendants in your Ste. Genevieve, 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 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 Ste. Genevieve, MO about your case as soon as possible. Combs Waterkotte has a team of exceptional Ste. Genevieve, MO dog bite injury attorneys ready to fight for your recovery and make the right parties pay. You did nothing to deserve being attacked by a dog, and you should be allowed to recover through all legal remedies available to you under Missouri law. The legal team at Combs Waterkotte will get you a just recovery. Call us now at (314) 900-HELP.
Our Ste. Genevieve, 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:
- Child Abuse & Neglect Lawyer
- Homicide Lawyer
- Assault Lawyer
- Rape Defense Lawyer
- Sex Offense Lawyers
- DWI Attorney
- Crime Defense Lawyers
- Domestic Violence Defense Attorneys
- Child Pornography Defense Lawyer
- Criminal Lawyer
Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Ste. Genevieve, Missouri: Hire a Lawyer Now
After facing the unexpected tragedy of a dog bite injury, a dog bite injury lawyer in Ste. Genevieve, 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 have a significant impact on your life. Give yourself a chance to be made whole again by speaking to an accomplished Ste. Genevieve, MO dog bite injury lawyer today.
As your dog bite injury lawyer, we are here to demand that you are justly compensated when a life-changing incident such as a dog attack causes you harm. 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.