Dog Bite Injury Lawyer St. James, MO

Dog Bite Injury Lawyer St. James, MO. Dogs are beloved pets and, to some, even considered family members or honorary coworkers. Many of us have pet dogs in St. James, MO and interacting with any dog can bring us a lot of joy. However, dogs are 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 compensated. There are St. James 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 St. James, MO. When it happens to you or a loved one, it is our job to ensure that you get a fair recovery.

If your or your family member has been harmed by a dog that bit, contact Combs Waterkotte today at (314) 900-HELP. Our St. James, MO dog bite injury lawyers handle 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 deal with 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 experienced because of your injuries, but for a chance to receive the full value of your damages, you are going to need help from a skilled St. James, 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. Discuss your St. James, MO case with Combs Waterkotte today in a complementary consultation today. Begin your recovery by reaching us now.

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What compensation can my St. James, MO dog bite injury lawyer help me receive?

Every dog bite injury case in the St. James, MO area is different and it is normal to experience anxiety and uncertainly about your case after being injured by a dog. The value of a dog bite claim in St. James, 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 more serious, permanent damage and costly medical care. However, to truly understand what kind of settlement you can expect to receive for your St. James, 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 a dog bite injury case in St. James, MO include:

The total sum you recover depends greatly on many factors, including whether or not you hire a lawyer in St. James, MO. Remember that a dog bite injury lawyer in St. James, MO like a member of the Combs Waterkotte team 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 on your own. This includes our contingency-fee model, which means that Combs Waterkotte will not bill you for anything unless your St. James, MO dog bite injury lawyer wins 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. James, MO area provide quality legal support at no out-of-pocket costs to you. There is no reason not to speak to our St. James, 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. James, 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 for your particular case outcome. 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 St. James, MO about your case. Count on the St. James, MO dog bite attorneys of Combs Waterkotte and contact us to review your dog bite injury case today.

Factors That Affect Your Settlement in a Dog Bite Case

The settlement you receive in your dog bite case depends on factors like:

• The dog bite leaves visible scarring or disfigurement.
• Your injuries have caused permanent disability.
• Your dog bite injuries necessitated emergency medical attention.
• Your injuries require you to undergo surgery or receive other extensive medical care.
• You required mental health treatment for the psychological injuries you suffered due to the dog bite.

When you hire Combs Waterkotte, your St. James, 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 trracking down evidence, examining liability and building an infallible case to make sure you get an excellent outcome in your St. James, MO dog bite injury claim.

Beyond the situation surrounding the accident and the severity of your injuries, the total recovery your St. James, MO dog bite injury lawyer can get you will also depend on other factors, such as:

• What party or parties are liable for the dog bite
• The insurance coverage policy limits
• The sum of the economic damages 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 your non-economic damages
• The ability of your dog bite injury lawyer to negotiate a settlement for your case

Average settlements in personal injury claims like dog attacks are around three times higher for plaintiffs who hire a dog bite injury lawyer for representation than for those who attempt to settle their case without legal representation. Find out if Combs Waterkotte can help you collect a higher, more just settlement for your St. James, MO dog bite injuries by calling us at (314) 900-HELP today to go over your case with a knowledgeable St. James, MO dog bite injury lawyer.

St. James, MO Dog Bite Injury Lawyer: Determining Liability

In order to successfully collect a complete settlement that makes you whole after being harmed in a dog bite incident, you will need a dog bite injury lawyer in St. James, MO you can trust to help you figure out 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 damages. A knowledgeable dog bite injury lawyer in St. James, MO with Combs Waterkotte 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 losses 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 St. James, MO dog bite injury attorney does not need to show 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 it was the owner’s dog that injured you. Specifically, the Missouri statute lays out that the St. James 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 St. James, MO will use our expertise to get you a fair settlement 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, 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 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 they are expecting visitors to their home could be considered negligent and your Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer will diligently 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 St. James, MO dog bite lawyer can show that the defendant is liable for your injuries because of the simple fact that 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 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, you may have a case of negligence per se.

Who is responsible for my dog bite injuries?

Because of the possibility of additional claims of negligence beyond 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 the circumstances of the parties that were present, where the bite occurred, and how the parties behaved, your dog bite injury lawyer in St. James, MO may identify additional responsible inidividuals in your St. James, 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 and you suspect that someone beyond the owner is to 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 St. James, MO about your case as soon as possible. Combs Waterkotte has a team of exceptional St. James, 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 allowed to recover through all avenues of compensation 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. James, 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 St. James, Missouri: Talk to a Lawyer Today

After facing the unexpected tragedy of a dog bite injury, a dog bite injury lawyer in St. James, MO with Combs Waterkotte can help you seek justice. A dog bite can be quite traumatic, often leaving you with lasting physical and mental scars that can affect your life in profound, unrelenting ways. Give yourself a chance to receive the recovery you deserve by speaking to an accomplished St. James, MO dog bite injury lawyer today.

As your dog bite injury lawyer, we make it our mission to secure just compensation for you when a life-changing incident such as a dog attack causes you harm. After you or someone you love have been injured by a dog bite, call Combs Waterkotte right away at (314) 900-HELP or reach us online to learn how we can help you with your case.