Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Callaway County, MO
Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Callaway County, MO. We love our pet dogs and may even go so far as to call them family members or honorary coworkers. Many of us have dogs at home in Callaway County, MO and we get a lot of joy from spending time with them. 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 Callaway 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 occur in Callaway County, 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 someone you love has been harmed by a dog that bit, contact Combs Waterkotte today at (314) 900-HELP. Our Callaway County, MO dog bite injury lawyers handle each case fervently and with great care and dedication. You did nothing to 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 damages and losses you have experienced because of your injuries, but in order to collect the full value of your damages, you are going to need help from a skilled Callaway County, MO dob bite injury lawyer. Our distinguished team of attorneys have the experience and resources to get you full compensation that will restore you after been harmed. Discuss your Callaway County, MO case with Combs Waterkotte today in a complementary consultation today. Start your recovery by reaching us now.
What compensation can my Callaway County, MO dog bite injury lawyer help me receive?
Each dog bite injury case in the Callaway County, 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 Callaway County, MO could be anywhere from $10,000 for minor but evident injuries to well over $100,000 for bites that result in more serious, lasting damage and costly medical bills. However, to find out the possible settlement amount you can recover in your Callaway County, MO dog bite injuries, speak to a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Callaway County, 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 Callaway County, MO 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 total sum you collect depends greatly on many factors, including whether you hire an experienced Callaway County, MO lawyer. Remember that a dog bite injury lawyer in Callaway County, 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 includes the contingency-fee-basis on which we operate, which means that Combs Waterkotte will not bill you for anything unless your Callaway County, MO dog bite injury lawyer wins 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 Callaway County, MO area provide quality legal support at no out-of-pocket costs to you. You have nothing to lose by contacting our Callaway 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 Callaway County, 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 dog bites that result in permanent disability can settle for over $200,000.
Unfortunately, these numbers are not guarantees for your particular case outcome. Because your recovery depends on the unique circumstances and characteristics of your individual case, it is important that you speak to a dog bite injury lawyer in Callaway County, MO. Turn to the Callaway County, MO dog bite attorneys of Combs Waterkotte and ask us to review your dog bite injury case today.
Factors That Affect the Value of a Dog Bite Case
The settlement you receive in your dog bite case depends on factors like:
- The dog bite leaves visible scarring or disfigurement.
- The dog bite has made you permanently disabled.
- 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 Callaway County, MO dog bite injury lawyer will work diligently to get to the bottom of and prove. We dedicate our full resources to obtaining evidence, evaluating liability and building an infallible case to get you an excellent result in your Callaway County, MO dog bite injury claim.
In addition to the circumstances of the accident and the extent of your injuries, the total recovery your Callaway County, MO dog bite injury lawyer can get you is also related to other factors, such as:
- Who is 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 total cost of all of your medical bills
- 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 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 those who try to settle their case without legal representation. Discover how Combs Waterkotte can help you collect a higher, more just settlement in your Callaway County, MO dog bite case by calling us at (314) 900-HELP today to go over your case with a knowledgeable Callaway County, MO dog bite injury lawyer.
Callaway County, MO Dog Bite Injury Lawyer: Determining Who Is Liable
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 a dog bite injury lawyer in Callaway County, MO you can trust to help you figure out 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 has to do with who is responsible for your damages. With a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Callaway County, MO, you have a professional who is well-acquainted with Missouri law and has seen many different situations related to 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 suffered.
In Missouri, Revised Statute Section 273.036 puts into effect a practice of strict liability in dog bite injury cases. Strict liabillity assigns legal accountability to a party — in this case, the dog owner — irrespective of fault or intention. In application, it means that your Callaway County, 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, 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 Callaway County or Missouri dog bite owner is legally responsible for your injuries if:
- you were injured by 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 Callaway County, MO will use our expertise to 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 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 their duty to keep you safe. Someone who lets their dog roam the neighborhood freely or does not put their large, aggressive dog away when they are expecting visitors to their home could be seen as 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 refers to liability that is assigned automatically through the act of breaking a law. Rather than proving that the defendant did not act with care as a reasonable person would, your Callaway County, MO dog bite lawyer proves that the person is liable for your injuries because of the simple fact that 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 violated 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 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 considerations such as who was involved, where the bite happened, and how the parties behaved, your dog bite injury lawyer in Callaway County, MO may identify additional responsible parties in your Callaway County, MO dog bite case, like:
- 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 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 Callaway County, MO about your case as soon as possible. Combs Waterkotte has a dedicated team of talented Callaway County, 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 a just recovery. Call us now at (314) 900-HELP.
Our Callaway County, 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 Callaway County, Missouri: Talk to 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 Callaway County, 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 be made whole again by consulting with an accomplished Callaway 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 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.