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Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Park Hills, MO

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Posted by Emily Herr on March 23, 2022

Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Park Hills, MO

Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Park Hills, MO. Dogs are beloved pets and, to some, even considered family members or honorary coworkers. A lot of us have pet dogs in Park Hills, MO and we get a lot of joy from spending time with them. 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 Park Hills 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 happen in Park Hills, 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, contact Combs Waterkotte today at (314) 900-HELP. Our Park Hills, 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 recover full compensation for the full extent of the losses you have experienced as a result of the attack, but for a chance to receive just compensation, you will likely need a reputable Park Hills, MO dog bite injury lawyer standing by you. Our team of competitive attorneys have the experience and resources to make sure you are made whole again and allowed to move forward from this experience. Discuss your Park Hills, MO case with Combs Waterkotte today in a complementary consultation today. Start your recovery by reaching us now.

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

Each Park Hills, MO dog bite injury claim is different and you are likely to experience anxiety and uncertainly about your case after being injured by a dog. The value of a dog bite claim in Park Hills, MO could be anywhere from $10,000 in bites that cause minor but evident injuries to well over $100,000 for bites that result in more serious, lasting damage and costly medical care. Remember, though, that to truly understand what kind of settlement you can recover in your Park Hills, 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 how extensive and debilitating your injuries and other damages are.

Types of damages available in your Park Hills, 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 total sum you recover is determined by a combination of many factors, including whether you hire an experienced Park Hills, MO lawyer. It is important to note that a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Park Hills, 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 includes the contingency-fee-basis on which we operate, which means that Combs Waterkotte will not bill you for anything unless your Park Hills, 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 Park Hills, MO area provide quality legal support at no out-of-pocket costs to you. You have nothing to lose by contacting our Park Hills, MO dog bite injury lawyer team to discuss your case and learn how we can help.

How much can I get for my case with a dog bite injury lawyer in Park Hills, MO?

The average dog bite injury settlement is about $40,000 for a “severe but typical dog bite injury”, while dog bites that cause permanent scarring and disfigurement settle for 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. 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 Park Hills, MO about your case. Trust the Park Hills, MO dog bite attorneys of Combs Waterkotte and contact us to review your dog bite injury case now.

Factors That Affect 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.
  • 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 suffered psychological harm from the dog bite incident that required professional mental health treatment.

When you hire Combs Waterkotte, your Park Hills, 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, determining liability and building a strong argument to make sure you get an excellent result in your Park Hills, MO dog bite injury claim.

In addition to the circumstances of the accident and the severity of your injuries, the total sum your Park Hills, MO dog bite injury lawyer can secure for you will also depend on 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 bills
  • How your dog bite injury lawyer assesses and 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 around three times higher for plaintiffs who hire a dog bite injury lawyer to represent them in their claim than for those who try to reach a settlement without legal representation. Find out if Combs Waterkotte can help you collect a higher, more just settlement in your Park Hills, MO dog bite case by reaching us at (314) 900-HELP today to ask an experienced Park Hills, MO dog bite injury lawyer about your case.

Park Hills, MO Dog Bite Injury Lawyer: Determining Who Is Liable

To get 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 Park Hills, MO you can trust to help you determine 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. A knowledgeable dog bite injury lawyer in Park Hills, MO with Combs Waterkotte is well-acquainted with 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 losses you have suffered.

dog bite injury lawyer Park Hills, 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 is a legal policy that names a party accountable — in this case, the dog owner — regardless of their intention or whether there was fault. That means that your Park Hills, MO dog bite injury attorney does not necessarily have to show 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, 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 Park Hills 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 Park Hills, MO will use our expertise to get you a fair settlement 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, 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 in their actions or failure to act, in upholding their duty of care to you. 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 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 Park Hills, 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 protect you. For example, certain towns 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 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, 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, you may have a case against other parties in addition to the owner of the dog. Depending on the circumstances of the parties that were present, where the bite occurred, and how the parties behaved, your dog bite injury lawyer in Park Hills, MO may build a case against other parties in your Park Hills, 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 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 Park Hills, MO about your case as soon as possible. Combs Waterkotte has a team of exceptional Park Hills, 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. The legal team at Combs Waterkotte will get you the recovery you deserve. Call us now at (314) 900-HELP.

Our Park Hills, 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 Park Hills, Missouri: Talk to a Lawyer Now

    When you or a loved one are suddenly thrown off course by way of an unexpected dog bite injury, a dog bite injury lawyer in Park Hills, MO with Combs Waterkotte will work hard to bring you justice. A dog bite can be quite traumatic, and the physical and psychological injuries it leaves can affect your life in profound, unrelenting ways. Give yourself a chance to receive the recovery you deserve by consulting with an accomplished Park Hills, 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 being bitten and injured by a dog, call Combs Waterkotte right away at (314) 900-HELP or reach us online to learn how we can help you with your case.

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