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Farmington, MO

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Posted by Emily Herr on March 23, 2022

Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Farmington, MO

Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Farmington, 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 Farmington, 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. 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. Though we have a number of laws in Farmington and Missouri and recommendations responsible pet owners can follow to prevent dogs from attacking humans, 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, it is our job to help you recover fair compensation.

If your or someone you love has been injured in a dog bite incident, call 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 as a result of the attack, but for a chance to collect the full value of your damages, you will likely need a reputable Farmington, MO dog bite injury lawyer standing by you. 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 Farmington, MO case with Combs Waterkotte for free today. Start your recovery by reaching 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 unique 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 Farmington, 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 severe, long-term damage and costly medical care. Remember, though, that to find out what kind of settlement you can expect to receive 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 your Farmington, 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 final dollar amount you collect is determined by a combination of a variety of 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 by yourself. This also takes into account the contingency-fee-basis on which we operate, which means that your Combs Waterkotte Farmington, 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 Farmington, MO area work on your case at no out-of-pocket costs to you. There is no reason not to speak to our Farmington, MO dog bite injury lawyer team to discuss your case and learn how we can help.

How much is my case worth if I hire 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 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 in your particular case. 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 Farmington, MO. Trust the Farmington, MO dog bite attorneys of Combs Waterkotte and ask us to review your dog bite injury case now.

Factors That Affect 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.
  • 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.

These are all facts of your case that your Combs Waterkotte Farmington, MO dog bite injury lawyer will investigate and prove without question. We dedicate our full resources to collecting evidence, examining liability and building an infallible case to make sure you get 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 compensation your Farmington, MO dog bite injury lawyer can secure for you is also related to other factors, such as:

  • What party or parties are 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 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

Average settlements in dog bite attacks and other personal injury cases are threefold for plaintiffs who hire a dog bite injury lawyer to represent them in their claim than for those in dog bite cases who attempt to reach a settlement on their own. Find out if Combs Waterkotte can help you collect a higher, more just settlement for your Farmington, MO dog bite injuries by reaching us at (314) 900-HELP today to go over your case with a knowledgeable Farmington, MO dog bite injury lawyer.

Farmington, MO Dog Bite Injury Lawyer: Determining Liability

In order to receive a complete settlement that makes you whole after being harmed in a dog bite incident, you will need a dog bite injury lawyer in Farmington, 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 at fault for your damages. With a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Farmington, MO, you have a professional who is well-acquainted with Missouri law and has seen many different situations regarding liability in personal injury cases including dog bite injuries. We help you hold the right people accountable and make sure they pay for the losses you have suffered.

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 — regardless of fault or intention. That means that your Farmington, MO dog bite injury attorney does not need to demonstrate that the dog owner 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 that the owner’s dog bit you. Specifically, 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 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 Farmington, MO can get you a fair 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, 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 upholding their duty of care to you. Someone who lets their dog roam the neighborhood freely 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 refers to liability that is assigned automatically through the act of breaking a law. Rather than comparing the defendant’s behavior to that of a reasonable person in the same situation, your Farmington, 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, some towns 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 looking after or responsible for the dog broke 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 damages?

Because of the potential for negligence claims 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 involved, where the bite happened, and how the parties behaved, your dog bite injury lawyer in Farmington, MO may build a case against other inidividuals in your Farmington, 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 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 covers, take the first step toward your recovery 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 nothing to deserve being attacked by a dog, 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 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 Now

After facing the unexpected tragedy of a 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, 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 speaking to 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 you or someone you love have been injured by a dog bite, call Combs Waterkotte right away at (314) 900-HELP or send us a message to learn how we can help you with your case.

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