Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Jennings, MO
Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Jennings, 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 dogs at home in Jennings, MO and we get a lot of joy from spending time with them. 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 compensated. There are Jennings 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 Jennings, MO. When you or someone you know becomes the victim of a dog bite, we hare here to help you recover fair compensation.
If your or your family member has been injured in a dog bite incident, call Combs Waterkotte today at (314) 900-HELP. Our Jennings, MO dog bite injury lawyers represent each case with compassion and fervor. You did nothing to deserve to be injured and it would be unjust to leave you to deal with the consequences on your own. Missouri law provides a path for you to recover full compensation for the damages and losses you have suffered as a result of your injuries, but in order to receive just compensation, you are going to need help from a skilled Jennings, 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 Jennings, MO case with Combs Waterkotte today in a complementary consultation today. Start by reaching us now.
What compensation can my Jennings, MO dog bite injury lawyer help me receive?
Each Jennings, MO dog bite injury claim is different and you are likely to experience anxiety and uncertainly about your case after a dog hurts you. The amount in damages you could recover in your Jennings, MO dog bite case ranges anywhere from $10,000 in bites that cause minor but evident injuries to more than $100,000 for bites that result in more serious, long-term damage and costly medical bills. Remember, though, that to truly understand what kind of settlement you can recover in your Jennings, MO dog bite claim, 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 your Jennings, MO dog bite injury case include:
- Medical costs
- 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 total sum you collect depends greatly on a variety of factors, including whether or not you hire a lawyer in Jennings, MO. Remember that a dog bite injury lawyer in Jennings, MO like a member of the Combs Waterkotte team 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 your Combs Waterkotte Jennings, 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 Jennings, MO area offer our dedicated representation at no out-of-pocket costs to you. There is no reason not to speak to our Jennings, 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 Jennings, 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 could bring closer to $100,000 and permanent disabilities caused by dog bites can settle for over $200,000.
While we wish we could promise an exact number, these averages do not guarantee anything for your particular case outcome. Because your recovery depends on the unique circumstances and characteristics of your individual case, you need to speak to a dog bite injury lawyer in Jennings, MO. Trust the Jennings, MO dog bite attorneys of Combs Waterkotte and ask us to review your dog bite injury case now.
Factors That Influence the Value of a Dog Bite Case
Factors related to the dog bite that can affect the value of your claim include:
- You have scarring or are disfigured as a result of the dog bite.
- The dog bite has made you permanently disabled.
- 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 suffered psychological harm from the dog bite incident that required professional mental health treatment.
When you hire Combs Waterkotte, your Jennings, 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, evaluating liability and building a strong argument to get you the best possible result in your Jennings, MO dog bite injury claim.
Beyond the situation surrounding the accident and the severity of your injuries, the total sum your Jennings, 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 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 calculates the value of your non-economic damages
- How effectively your dog bite injury lawyer negotiates and how resistant the defendant is
Average settlements in personal injury claims like dog attacks are threefold for victims who hire a dog bite injury lawyer for representation than for those who attempt to settle their case without legal representation. Discover how Combs Waterkotte can help you collect a higher, more just settlement for your Jennings, MO dog bite injuries by reaching us at (314) 900-HELP today to go over your case with a knowledgeable Jennings, MO dog bite injury lawyer.
Jennings, MO Dog Bite Injury Lawyer: Who Is Liable
To successfully collect a complete settlement that makes you whole after being harmed in a dog bite incident, you will need to work with your Jennings, 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.
The idea of liability in a dog bite or any personal injury case describes who is at fault for your losses. A knowledgeable dog bite injury lawyer in Jennings, MO with Combs Waterkotte knows Missouri law and has seen many different 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 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 — irrespective of their intention or whether there was fault. In application, it means that your Jennings, MO dog bite injury attorney does not necessarily have to show that the dog owner was negligent or had the dog attack you on purpose. 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. In more certain terms, the Missouri statute lays out that the Jennings 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 Jennings, MO will use our expertise to get you an excellent settlement in your strict liability claim against the dog’s owner, and typically it is the dog owner’s homeowners or renters insurance that pays out the settlement for 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 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 comparing the defendant’s behavior to that of a reasonable person in the same situation, your Jennings, MO dog bite lawyer proves that the defendant is liable for your injuries because of the simple fact that 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 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, ask your attorney about a possible case of negligence per se.
Who is responsible for my dog bite damages?
Because of the possibility of additional claims of negligence beyond the strict liability statute in Missouri, you may have a case against other defendants other than the owner of the dog. Depending on considerations such as who was present, where the bite occurred, and how the parties behaved, your dog bite injury lawyer in Jennings, MO may identify additional responsible parties in your Jennings, 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 but you believe that additional parties share the 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 Jennings, MO about your case as soon as possible. Combs Waterkotte is equipped with a team of exceptional Jennings, MO dog bite injury attorneys willing to fight for your recovery and hold the right parties accountable. You did not deserve to be attacked or harmed, and you should be made whole 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 Jennings, 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 Jennings, Missouri: Hire a Lawyer Now
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 Jennings, 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. You have a chance to receive the recovery you deserve by speaking to an accomplished Jennings, 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 discover how we can help you with your case.