Dog Bite Injury Lawyer New Florence, MO
Dog Bite Injury Lawyer New Florence, MO. Dogs are beloved pets and, to some, even considered family members or honorary coworkers. A lot of us have pet dogs in New Florence, MO and interacting with any dog can bring us a lot of joy. 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 compensated. There are New Florence 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 New Florence, 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 your family member has been injured in a dog bite incident, call Combs Waterkotte today at (314) 900-HELP. Our New Florence, MO dog bite injury lawyers handle each case with compassion and fervor. 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 full extent of the losses you have experienced because of the attack, but in order to receive a fair settlement, you are going to need help from a skilled New Florence, MO dob bite injury lawyer. 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. Review your New Florence, MO case with Combs Waterkotte for free today. Start your recovery by reaching us now.
What compensation can my New Florence, MO dog bite injury lawyer help me receive?
Each dog bite injury case in the New Florence, 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 New Florence, MO could be anywhere from $10,000 for minor but evident injuries to more than $100,000 for bites that result in significant, lasting damage and costly medical bills. Remember, though, that to truly understand what kind of settlement you can expect to receive in your New Florence, 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 New Florence, MO dog bite injury case 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 recover depends greatly on many variables, including whether or not you hire a lawyer in New Florence, MO. Remember that a dog bite injury lawyer in New Florence, MO like a member of the Combs Waterkotte team 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 New Florence, 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 New Florence, MO area provide quality legal support at no out-of-pocket costs to you. You have nothing to lose by contacting our New Florence, 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 New Florence, 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 in your particular case. Because your recovery depends on the unique circumstances and characteristics of your individual case, it is important that you talk to a dog bite injury lawyer in New Florence, MO about your case. Count on the New Florence, 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
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.
When you hire Combs Waterkotte, your New Florence, 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 obtaining evidence, examining liability and building a strong argument to make sure you get the best possible result in your New Florence, MO dog bite injury claim.
Beyond the situation surrounding the accident and the extent of your injuries, the total recovery your New Florence, 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 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 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 threefold for victims who hire a dog bite injury lawyer for representation than for plaintiffs who try to reach a settlement without legal representation. Discover how Combs Waterkotte can help you collect a higher, more just settlement in your New Florence, MO dog bite case by reaching us at (314) 900-HELP today to ask an experienced New Florence, MO dog bite injury lawyer about your case.
New Florence, MO Dog Bite Injury Lawyer: Who Is Liable
In order to settle your case at a sum that makes you whole after being harmed in a dog bite incident, you will need to work with your New Florence, MO dog bite injury lawyer to determine who is legally responsible for the damages you have suffered and, thus, who to hold accountable for your suffering.
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 New Florence, MO, you have a professional who knows Missouri law and has first-hand experience with a variety of 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 experienced.
In Missouri, Revised Statute Section 273.036 puts into effect a practice of 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. That means that your New Florence, MO dog bite injury attorney does not need to demonstrate that the owner of the dog that bit you was negligent or had the dog attack you on purpose. To win your Missouri dog bite injury case, all you need to prove is that you were injured and that the owner’s dog bit you. In more certain terms, the Missouri statute lays out that the New Florence or Missouri dog bite owner is legally responsible 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 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 New Florence, MO will work to get you an excellent recovery in your strict liability claim against the owner of the dog, and most of the time it is the dog owner’s homeowners or renters insurance that pays out the settlement for 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 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 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 New Florence, MO dog bite lawyer can show that the defendant is liable for your injuries by default because they broke a law that was meant to keep you safe. For example, some cities 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 permission from the property owner. If the person looking after or responsible for 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 injury?
Because of the possibility of additional claims of negligence outside of the strict liability statute in Missouri, it is possible that you have other cases against other parties 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 New Florence, MO may identify additional responsible parties in your New Florence, 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 a loved one have been injured in a dog bite incident and you suspect 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 New Florence, MO about your case as soon as possible. Combs Waterkotte is equipped with a dedicated team of talented New Florence, MO dog bite injury attorneys willing 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 allowed to recover through all legal remedies available to you under Missouri law. Let Combs Waterkotte help you get the recovery you deserve. Call us now at (314) 900-HELP.
Our New Florence, 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 New Florence, Missouri: Talk to a Lawyer Now
After facing the unexpected tragedy of a dog bite injury, a dog bite injury lawyer in New Florence, 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. You have a chance to receive the recovery you deserve by speaking to an accomplished New Florence, 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 right away at (314) 900-HELP or send us a message to discover how we can help you with your case.