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O’Fallon, MO

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Posted by Emily Herr on March 23, 2022

Dog Bite Injury Lawyer O’Fallon, MO

Dog Bite Injury Lawyer O’Fallon, 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 pet dogs in O’Fallon, MO and interacting with any dog can bring us a lot of joy. 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 given a recovery. There are O’Fallon 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 take place in O’Fallon, MO. When it happens to you or a loved one, we hare here to ensure that you get a fair recovery.

If your or someone you love has been harmed by a dog that bit, contact Combs Waterkotte today at (314) 900-HELP. Our O’Fallon, MO dog bite injury lawyers represent each case with compassion and fervor. You did nothing to 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 full extent of the losses you have suffered because of the attack, but in order to receive a fair settlement, you are going to need help from a skilled O’Fallon, MO dob bite injury lawyer. Our distinguished team of attorneys have the experience and resources to make sure you are made whole again and allowed to move forward from this experience. Review your O’Fallon, MO case with Combs Waterkotte today in a complementary consultation today. Start by contacting us now.

What compensation can my O’Fallon, MO dog bite injury lawyer help me receive?

Each O’Fallon, 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 O’Fallon, MO could be anywhere from $10,000 for minor but demonstrable injuries to easily over $100,000 for bites that result in significant, lasting damage and costly medical care. Remember, though, that to truly understand what kind of settlement you can recover for your O’Fallon, MO dog bite case, speak to a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in O’Fallon, MO about your case. Among other considerations, the amount of compensation you can recovery depends on the extent of the damages or losses you have experienced.

Damages you can recover in a dog bite injury case in O’Fallon, MO 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 recover depends greatly on a variety of variables, including whether you hire an experienced O’Fallon, MO lawyer. Remember that a dog bite injury lawyer in O’Fallon, 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 on your own. This includes our contingency-fee model, which means that your Combs Waterkotte O’Fallon, 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 O’Fallon, MO area offer our dedicated representation at no out-of-pocket costs to you. You have nothing to lose by contacting our O’Fallon, MO dog bite injury lawyer team about your case to find out if we can help.

How much is my case worth if I hire a dog bite injury lawyer in O’Fallon, 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 cause permanent scarring and disfigurement could bring closer to $100,000 and permanent disabilities caused by dog bites can settle for over $200,000.

While we wish we could promise an exact number, these averages do not guarantee anything in your particular case. Because your recovery depends on the unique circumstances and characteristics of your individual case, you need to talk to a dog bite injury lawyer in O’Fallon, MO about your case. Trust the O’Fallon, MO dog bite attorneys of Combs Waterkotte and contact us to review your dog bite injury case now.

Factors That Influence Your Settlement in a Dog Bite Case

The following factors determine the value of your case:

  • The dog bite leaves visible scarring or disfigurement.
  • Your injuries have caused permanent disability.
  • Your dog bite injuries necessitated emergency medical attention.
  • 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 O’Fallon, MO dog bite injury lawyer will remain committed to investigating and proving the statements above that apply in your case. We put the full weight of our resources behind obtaining evidence, examining liability and building an infallible case to get you an excellent result in your O’Fallon, MO dog bite injury claim.

In addition to the circumstances of the accident and the extent of your injuries, the total recovery your O’Fallon, MO dog bite injury lawyer can secure for you is also related to other factors, such as:

  • Who is 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 expenses
  • 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

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 try to settle their case on their own. Find out if Combs Waterkotte can help you collect a higher, more just settlement for your O’Fallon, MO dog bite injuries by calling us at (314) 900-HELP today to ask an experienced O’Fallon, MO dog bite injury lawyer about your case.

O’Fallon, MO Dog Bite Injury Lawyer: Determining Who Is Liable

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 O’Fallon, MO you can trust to help you figure out 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 describes who is responsible for your damages. With a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in O’Fallon, 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 experienced.

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 their intention or whether there was fault. In application, it means that your O’Fallon, MO dog bite injury attorney does not need to prove 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, all you need to prove is that you were injured and that the owner’s dog bit you. Specifically, the Missouri statute lays out that the O’Fallon 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 bitten by a dog that you did not provoke and you were not trespassing, your Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in O’Fallon, 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 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. 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 O’Fallon, 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 cities and municipalities have laws in place mandating that people keep dogs on leashes while off their own property 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 that dog bit you, ask your attorney about a possible case of negligence per se.

Who is responsible for my dog bite injuries?

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 defendants other than the owner of the dog. Depending on considerations such as who was present, where the bite occurred, and what the parties in question did or did not do, your dog bite injury lawyer in O’Fallon, MO may identify additional responsible parties in your O’Fallon, 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 were bitten by a dog but you believe that someone beyond the owner is to blame, or that the owner has more blame than strict liability accounts for, take the first step toward your recovery and speak to a dog bite injury lawyer in O’Fallon, MO about your case as soon as possible. Combs Waterkotte is equipped with a team of exceptional O’Fallon, 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 made whole through all avenues of compensation Missouri law provides. The legal team at Combs Waterkotte will get you a just recovery. Call us now at (314) 900-HELP.

Our O’Fallon, 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 O’Fallon, Missouri: Talk to a Lawyer Today

After facing the unexpected tragedy of a dog bite injury, a dog bite injury lawyer in O’Fallon, MO with Combs Waterkotte will work hard to bring you justice. A dog bite can be quite traumatic, 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 speaking to an accomplished O’Fallon, 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 as soon as possible at (314) 900-HELP or reach us online to discover how we can help you with your case.

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