Dog Bite Injury Lawyer St. Clair, MO

Dog Bite Injury Lawyer St. Clair, MO. Dogs are beloved pets and, to some, even considered family members or honorary coworkers. A lot of us have dogs at home in St. Clair, MO and interacting with any dog can bring us a lot of joy. However, dogs are still animals and cannot communicate with us verbally. When a dog bites for whatever reason — they felt unsafe, were sick or in pain or were otherwise spurred to act on their instinct to attack — and you are hurt, you should be given a recovery. Though we have a number of laws in St. Clair 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 St. Clair, MO. When it happens to you or a loved one, we hare here 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 St. Clair, MO dog bite injury lawyers represent each case fervently and with great care and dedication. 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 damages and losses you have suffered as a result of the attack, but for a chance to receive a fair settlement, you will likely need a skilled St. Clair, MO dog bite injury lawyer standing by you. Our distinguished team of attorneys have the skills and resources to make sure you are made whole again and allowed to move forward from this experience. Review your St. Clair, MO case with Combs Waterkotte today in a complementary consultation today. Start by contacting us now.

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What compensation can I get with the help of a dog bite injury lawyer in St. Clair, MO?

Every dog bite injury case in the St. Clair, MO area is different and you are likely to have a number of questions running through your mind after being injured by a dog. The amount in damages you could recover in your St. Clair, MO dog bite case ranges anywhere from $10,000 for minor but evident injuries to more than $100,000 for bites that cause more serious, permanent damage and expensive medical bills. Remember, though, that to find out what kind of settlement you can recover for your St. Clair, 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 a dog bite injury case in St. Clair, MO include:

The total sum you collect is determined by a combination of many variables, including whether you hire an experienced St. Clair, MO lawyer. Remember that a dog bite injury lawyer in St. Clair, 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 also takes into account the contingency-fee-basis on which we operate, which means that your Combs Waterkotte St. Clair, 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 St. Clair, MO area provide quality legal support at no out-of-pocket costs to you. You have nothing to lose by contacting our St. Clair, 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 St. Clair, 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 settle for 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, it is important that you speak to a dog bite injury lawyer in St. Clair, MO. Trust the St. Clair, MO dog bite attorneys of Combs Waterkotte and ask us to review your dog bite injury case now.

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.
• 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 St. Clair, MO dog bite injury lawyer will investigate and prove without question. We dedicate our full resources to obtaining evidence, evaluating liability and building an infallible argument to make sure you get an excellent result in your St. Clair, MO dog bite injury claim.

In addition to the situation surrounding the accident and the extent of your injuries, the total recovery your St. Clair, MO dog bite injury lawyer can get you is also related to other factors, such as:

• Who is 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 calculates your non-economic damages
• How effectively your dog bite injury lawyer negotiates and how resistant the defendant is

On 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 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 St. Clair, MO dog bite injuries by reaching us at (314) 900-HELP today to go over your case with a knowledgeable St. Clair, MO dog bite injury lawyer.

St. Clair, MO Dog Bite Injury Lawyer: Determining Who Is Liable

In order to settle your case at a sum that can help you move forward in life after the losses you have suffered following a dog bite incident, you will need to work with your St. Clair, MO dog bite injury lawyer to 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 has to do with who is at fault for your damages. With a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in St. Clair, MO, you have a professional who is well-acquainted with Missouri law and has seen many different 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.

In Missouri, Revised Statute Section 273.036 puts into effect a practice of strict liability in dog bite injury cases. Strict liabillity assigns legal accountability to a party — in this case, the dog owner — regardless of their intention or whether there was fault. In application, it means that your St. Clair, MO dog bite injury attorney does not need to show that the dog owner 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 it was the owner’s dog that injured you. In more certain terms, the Missouri statute lays out that the St. Clair or Missouri dog bite owner is legally responsible for your injuries if:

• you were injured by 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 St. Clair, MO will use our expertise to get you a fair 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 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 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 claim. 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 St. Clair, MO dog bite lawyer proves that the defendant 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 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 injury?

Because of the possibility of additional claims of negligence beyond Missouri’s strict liability policy, it is possible that you have other cases against other parties other than 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 St. Clair, MO may build a case against other parties in your St. Clair, MO dog bite case, such as:

• 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 and you suspect that someone beyond the owner is to 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 St. Clair, MO about your case as soon as possible. Combs Waterkotte has a dedicated team of talented St. Clair, 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 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 St. Clair, 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 St. Clair, 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 St. Clair, 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 affect your life in profound, unrelenting ways. Give yourself a chance to receive the recovery you deserve by consulting with an accomplished St. Clair, 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 as soon as possible at (314) 900-HELP or reach us online to discover how we can help you with your case.