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Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Ellisville, MO

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Posted by Emily Herr on March 23, 2022

Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Ellisville, MO

Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Ellisville, MO. Dogs are beloved pets and, to some, even considered family members or honorary coworkers. Many of us have pet dogs in Ellisville, 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. 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 compensated. Though we have a number of laws in Ellisville and Missouri and recommendations responsible pet owners can follow to prevent dogs from attacking humans, but dog bites and dog bite injuries still happen in Ellisville, 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, contact Combs Waterkotte today at (314) 900-HELP. Our Ellisville, MO dog bite injury lawyers handle 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 collect a complete financial recovery for the damages and losses you have experienced because of the attack, but in order to receive just compensation, you will likely need a skilled Ellisville, MO dog bite injury lawyer fighting by your side. Our team of competitive attorneys have the skills and resources to get you full compensation that will restore you after been harmed. Review your Ellisville, MO case with Combs Waterkotte for free today. Start by reaching us now.

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

Every Ellisville, MO dog bite injury claim is unique and you are likely to have a number of questions running through your mind after a dog hurts you. The value of a dog bite claim in Ellisville, MO could be anywhere from $10,000 in bites that cause minor but evident injuries to well over $100,000 for bites that cause severe, long-term damage and expensive medical bills. However, to truly understand what kind of settlement you can recover in your Ellisville, MO dog bite claim, 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 how extensive and debilitating your injuries and other damages are.

Damages you can recover in a dog bite injury case in Ellisville, 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 collect is determined by a combination of a variety of factors, including whether you hire an experienced Ellisville, MO lawyer. It is important to note that a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Ellisville, 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 also takes into account our contingency-fee model, which means that your Combs Waterkotte Ellisville, 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 Ellisville, MO area work on your case at no out-of-pocket costs to you. There is no reason not to speak to our Ellisville, 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 Ellisville, 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 result in settlements of over $200,000.

While we wish we could promise an exact number, these averages do not guarantee anything for your particular case outcome. In order to understand the complexities of your unique case and learn what to expect from your recovery, it is important that you speak to a dog bite injury lawyer in Ellisville, MO. Count on the Ellisville, 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

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.
  • 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 Ellisville, MO dog bite injury lawyer will remain committed to investigating and proving the statements above that apply in your case. We dedicate our full resources to trracking down evidence, evaluating liability and building a strong argument to get you the best possible result in your Ellisville, MO dog bite injury claim.

In addition to the circumstances of the accident and the extent of your injuries, the total sum your Ellisville, MO dog bite injury lawyer can secure for 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 cost of your medical expenses
  • How your dog bite injury lawyer 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 personal injury claims like dog attacks are around three times higher for plaintiffs who hire a dog bite injury lawyer to represent them in their claim than for plaintiffs in dog bite cases who attempt to reach a settlement without legal representation. Discover how Combs Waterkotte can help you collect a higher, more just settlement in your Ellisville, MO dog bite case by reaching us at (314) 900-HELP today to ask an experienced Ellisville, MO dog bite injury lawyer about your case.

Ellisville, MO Dog Bite Injury Lawyer: Determining Liability

In order to get a complete settlement 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 Ellisville, MO you can trust to help you figure out who to file a claim against and who, in turn, is responsible for your damages.

The idea of liability in a dog bite or any personal injury case describes who is responsible for your damages. With a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Ellisville, MO, you have a professional who knows Missouri law and has first-hand experience with a variety of situations regarding 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 Ellisville, MO | Combs Waterkotte Missouri dog bite injury lawyers

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 fault or intention. That means that your Ellisville, MO dog bite injury attorney does not need to show that the owner of the dog that bit you was negligent or that they intentionally allowed the dog to attack you. To win your Missouri dog bite injury case, you only need to show that you were injured and that the owner’s dog bit you. In more certain terms, the Missouri statute lays out that the Ellisville 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 not trespassing and a dog bit you unprovoked, your Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Ellisville, MO can get you a fair settlement 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, 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 allows a dog to run free through the neighborhood unsupervised or fails to crate their anxious dog when strangers or children visit their home could be considered negligent and your Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer will diligently 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 comparing the defendant’s behavior to that of a reasonable person in the same situation, your Ellisville, 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, some towns 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 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 injuries?

Due to the possibility of additional claims of negligence beyond Missouri’s strict liability policy, you may have a case against other parties in addition to the owner of the dog. Depending on considerations such as the parties that were present, where the bite happened, and what the parties in question did or did not do, your dog bite injury lawyer in Ellisville, MO may build a case against other inidividuals in your Ellisville, 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 were bitten by a dog 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 Ellisville, MO about your case as soon as possible. Combs Waterkotte is equipped with a team of exceptional Ellisville, MO dog bite injury attorneys willing to fight for your recovery and make the right parties pay. 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 Ellisville, 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 Ellisville, Missouri: Talk to a Lawyer Today

    After facing the unexpected tragedy of a dog bite injury, a dog bite injury lawyer in Ellisville, MO with Combs Waterkotte can help you seek justice. A dog bite can be quite traumatic, 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 consulting with an accomplished Ellisville, 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 send us a message to learn how we can help you with your case.

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