Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Farmington, MO
Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Farmington, MO. Dogs are beloved pets and, to some, even considered family members or honorary coworkers. Many of us have pet dogs in Farmington, MO and interacting with any dog can bring us a lot of joy. However, dogs are still animals and cannot communicate with us verbally. 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 Farmington 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 Farmington, MO. When you or someone you know becomes the victim of a dog bite, we hare here to ensure that you get a fair recovery.
If your or someone you love has been injured in a dog bite incident, contact Combs Waterkotte today at (314) 900-HELP. Our Farmington, MO dog bite injury lawyers represent each case fervently and with great care and dedication. You did not deserve to be injured and you should not have to suffer the consequences on your own. Missouri law provides a path for you to recover full compensation for the full extent of the losses you have experienced because of the attack, but in order to collect just compensation, you will likely need a skilled Farmington, MO dog bite injury lawyer standing by you. 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. Discuss your Farmington, MO case with Combs Waterkotte today in a complementary consultation today. Start by contacting us now.
What compensation can my Farmington, MO dog bite injury lawyer help me receive?
Every dog bite injury case in the Farmington, MO area is different and you are likely to experience anxiety and uncertainly about your case after being injured by a dog. The value of a dog bite claim in Farmington, MO could be anywhere from $10,000 for minor but demonstrable injuries to well over $100,000 for bites that result in significant, lasting damage and costly medical care. Remember, though, that to find out what kind of settlement you can recover in your Farmington, MO dog bite injuries, 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 how extensive and debilitating your injuries and other damages are.
Damages you can recover in a dog bite injury case in Farmington, MO 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 recover depends greatly on many variables, including whether or not you hire a lawyer in Farmington, MO. It is important to note that a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Farmington, 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 includes our contingency-fee model, which means that your Combs Waterkotte Farmington, 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 Farmington, MO area offer our dedicated representation at no out-of-pocket costs to you. There is no reason not to speak to our Farmington, 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 Farmington, 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 for your particular case outcome. 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 Farmington, MO. Turn to the Farmington, MO dog bite attorneys of Combs Waterkotte and ask us for a free review of your dog bite injury case now.
Factors That Influence Your Settlement in a Dog Bite Case
The settlement you receive in your dog bite case depends on factors like:
- 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 Farmington, 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, examining liability and building a strong case to get you the best possible result in your Farmington, MO dog bite injury claim.
Beyond the circumstances of the accident and the extent of your injuries, the total sum your Farmington, MO dog bite injury lawyer can get you will also depend on 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 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 victims who hire a dog bite injury lawyer to represent them in their claim than for plaintiffs who attempt to reach a settlement without legal representation. Find out if Combs Waterkotte can help you collect a higher, more just settlement in your Farmington, MO dog bite case by reaching us at (314) 900-HELP today to ask an experienced Farmington, MO dog bite injury lawyer about your case.
Farmington, MO Dog Bite Injury Lawyer: Determining Liability
In order to successfully collect a complete settlement that can help you move forward in life after being harmed in a dog bite incident, you will need to work with your Farmington, MO dog bite injury lawyer to determine 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 has to do with who is responsible for your losses. A knowledgeable dog bite injury lawyer in Farmington, MO with Combs Waterkotte is well-acquainted with Missouri law and has seen many different situations regarding 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 experienced.
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 — regardless of their intention or whether there was fault. That means that your Farmington, MO dog bite injury attorney does not need to demonstrate that the dog owner 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 that the owner’s dog bit you. In more certain terms, the Missouri statute lays out that the Farmington 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 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 Farmington, MO will use our expertise to get you an excellent recovery in your strict liability claim against the dog’s owner, and typically 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 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 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 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 Farmington, 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 in place mandating that people keep dogs on leashes while off their own property or prohibit dogs from being on others’ properties without the property owner’s permission. If the person looking after or responsible for the dog broke 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 injury?
Because of 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 the parties that were involved, where the bite occurred, and what the parties in question did or did not do, your dog bite injury lawyer in Farmington, MO may identify additional responsible defendants in your Farmington, 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 a loved one have been injured in a dog bite incident 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 Farmington, MO about your case as soon as possible. Combs Waterkotte has a dedicated team of talented Farmington, 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 legal remedies available to you under Missouri law. Let Combs Waterkotte help you get a just recovery. Call us now at (314) 900-HELP.
Our Farmington, 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 Farmington, 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 Farmington, MO with Combs Waterkotte can help you seek justice. A dog bite is usually a traumatic experience, often leaving you with lasting physical and mental scars that can have a significant impact on your life. Give yourself a chance to receive the recovery you deserve by consulting with an accomplished Farmington, 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 being bitten and injured by a dog, call Combs Waterkotte as soon as possible at (314) 900-HELP or reach us online to discover how we can help you with your case.