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Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Cottleville, MO

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Posted by Emily Herr on March 23, 2022

Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Cottleville, MO

Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Cottleville, MO. Dogs are beloved pets and, to some, even considered family members or honorary coworkers. Many of us have dogs at home in Cottleville, MO and interacting with any dog can bring us a lot of joy. However, dogs are 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. Though we have a number of laws in Cottleville and Missouri and recommendations responsible pet owners can follow to prevent dogs from attacking humans, but dog bites and dog bite injuries still occur in Cottleville, 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 someone you love has been injured in a dog bite incident, contact Combs Waterkotte today at (314) 900-HELP. Our Cottleville, MO dog bite injury lawyers represent each case fervently and with great care and dedication. You did nothing to deserve to be injured and it would be unjust to leave you to suffer the consequences on your own. Missouri law provides a path for you to recover full compensation for the damages and losses you have experienced as a result of your injuries, but in order to receive just compensation, you will likely need a reputable Cottleville, MO dog bite injury lawyer fighting by your side. Our team of competitive attorneys have the skills and resources to make sure you are made whole again and allowed to move forward from this experience. Discuss your Cottleville, MO case with Combs Waterkotte today in a complementary consultation today. Start by contacting us now.

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What compensation can my Cottleville, MO dog bite injury lawyer help me receive?

Every Cottleville, MO dog bite injury claim is different and you are likely to have a number of questions running through your mind after being injured by a dog. The value of a dog bite claim in Cottleville, MO could be anywhere from $10,000 in bites that cause minor but demonstrable injuries to easily over $100,000 for bites that result in more serious, lasting damage and expensive medical bills. However, to truly understand the possible settlement amount you can expect to receive in your Cottleville, MO dog bite case, you must speak to a qualified St. Louis dog bite injury lawyer like the attorneys of Combs Waterkotte. Among other details, the amount of compensation you can recovery depends on the extent of the damages or losses you have experienced.

Types of damages available in your Cottleville, 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 final dollar amount you recover depends greatly on many variables, including whether you hire an experienced Cottleville, MO lawyer. It is important to note that a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Cottleville, MO will only agree to represent you if they can add value to your case and help you recover more than you could 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 Cottleville, MO dog bite injury lawyer wins 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 Cottleville, MO area offer our dedicated representation at no out-of-pocket costs to you. There is no reason not to speak to our Cottleville, 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 Cottleville, 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 could bring 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. 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 Cottleville, MO about your case. Count on the Cottleville, 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

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.
  • 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.

These are all facts of your case that your Combs Waterkotte Cottleville, MO dog bite injury lawyer will work diligently to get to the bottom of and prove. We dedicate our full resources to collecting evidence, examining liability and building an infallible case to get you the best possible result in your Cottleville, MO dog bite injury claim.

In addition to the situation surrounding the accident and the severity of your injuries, the total sum your Cottleville, MO dog bite injury lawyer can get you will also depend on 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 bills
  • How your dog bite injury lawyer assesses and calculates the value of your non-economic damages
  • How effectively your dog bite injury lawyer negotiates and how resistant the defendant is

On average, settlements in dog bite attacks and other personal injury cases are around three times higher for victims who hire a dog bite injury lawyer for representation than for plaintiffs who attempt to reach a settlement without legal representation. Discover how Combs Waterkotte can help you collect a higher, more just settlement for your Cottleville, MO dog bite injuries by reaching us at (314) 900-HELP today to ask an experienced Cottleville, MO dog bite injury lawyer about your case.

Cottleville, MO Dog Bite Injury Lawyer: Determining Liability

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 a dog bite injury lawyer in Cottleville, 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 losses. With a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Cottleville, 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 help you hold the right people accountable and make sure they pay for the damages you have suffered.

dog bite injury lawyer Cottleville, MO | Combs Waterkotte Missouri dog bite injury lawyers

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 their intention or whether there was fault. In application, it means that your Cottleville, MO dog bite injury attorney does not necessarily have to show 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. In more certain terms, the Missouri statute lays out that the Cottleville or Missouri dog bite owner is liable 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 bitten by a dog that you did not provoke and you were not trespassing, your Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Cottleville, MO will work to get you an excellent recovery 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 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 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 they are expecting visitors to their home could be seen as negligent and your Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer will diligently 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 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 Cottleville, MO dog bite lawyer can show that the person is liable for your injuries by default because 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 permission from the property owner. If the person in possession of the dog broke 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?

Due to the potential for negligence claims outside of 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 happened, and how the parties behaved, your dog bite injury lawyer in Cottleville, MO may build a case against other defendants in your Cottleville, 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 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 Cottleville, MO about your case as soon as possible. Combs Waterkotte has a team of exceptional Cottleville, MO dog bite injury attorneys willing 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 Missouri law provides. The legal team at Combs Waterkotte will get you the recovery you deserve. Call us now at (314) 900-HELP.

Our Cottleville, MO attorneys have the skill and experience necessary to bring you justice in any type of personal injury or criminal case. Some of our practice area specialties include:

Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Cottleville, Missouri: Hire a Lawyer Now

After facing the unexpected tragedy of a dog bite injury, a dog bite injury lawyer in Cottleville, MO with Combs Waterkotte can help you seek 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 receive the recovery you deserve by speaking to an accomplished Cottleville, MO dog bite injury lawyer today.

As your dog bite injury lawyer, we make it our mission to secure just compensation for you after suffering the harm of something like a dog bite attack. After you or someone you love have been injured by a dog bite, call Combs Waterkotte right away at (314) 900-HELP or reach us online to discover how we can help you with your case.

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