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St. John, MO

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Dog Bite Injury Lawyer St. John, MO

Dog Bite Injury Lawyer St. John, MO. We love our pet dogs and may even go so far as to call them members of our family or fellow staff members. Many of us have pet dogs in St. John, 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 given a recovery. Though we have a number of laws in St. John and Missouri and recommendations responsible pet owners can follow to prevent dogs from attacking humans, but dog bites and dog bite injuries still happen in St. John, 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. John, MO dog bite injury lawyers handle 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 experienced as a result of the attack, but in order to collect a fair settlement, you are going to need help from a skilled St. John, MO dob bite injury lawyer. 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 St. John, MO case with Combs Waterkotte today in a complementary consultation today. Begin your recovery by reaching us now.

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

Each dog bite injury case in the St. John, MO area is unique 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 St. John, 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 severe, lasting damage and expensive medical bills. However, to truly understand what kind of settlement you can expect to receive for your St. John, MO dog bite claim, you must speak to a qualified St. Louis dog bite injury lawyer like the attorneys of Combs Waterkotte. Among other outside variables, the amount of compensation you can recovery depends on how extensive and debilitating your injuries and other damages are.

Damages you can recover in a dog bite injury case in St. John, MO include:

  • Medical expenses
    • Ambulance bill
    • Emergency room fees
    • Hospital stay costs
    • Doctors’ bills
    • Surgery
  • Treatment costs
    • 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 collect depends greatly on many variables, including whether you hire an experienced St. John, MO lawyer. It is important to note that a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in St. John, MO 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 also takes into account the contingency-fee-basis on which we operate, which means that your Combs Waterkotte St. John, 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. John, MO area offer our dedicated representation at no out-of-pocket costs to you. You have nothing to lose by contacting our St. John, 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 St. John, 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 permanent disabilities caused by dog bites can result in settlements of over $200,000.

While we wish we could promise an exact number, these averages do not guarantee anything in your particular case. In order to understand the complexities of your unique case and learn what to expect from your recovery, it is important that you speak to a dog bite injury lawyer in St. John, MO. Count on the St. John, MO dog bite attorneys of Combs Waterkotte and contact us for a free review of your dog bite injury case now.

Factors That Influence the Value of a Dog Bite Case

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

  • You have scarring or are disfigured as a result of the dog bite.
  • 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.

These are all facts of your case that your Combs Waterkotte St. John, MO dog bite injury lawyer will investigate and prove without question. We put the full weight of our resources behind collecting evidence, determining liability and building an infallible argument to get you the best possible outcome in your St. John, MO dog bite injury claim.

In addition to the circumstances of the accident and the severity of your injuries, the total recovery your St. John, MO dog bite injury lawyer can get you will also depend on other factors, such as:

  • Who is 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 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 around three times higher for plaintiffs who hire a dog bite injury lawyer to represent them in their claim than for those in dog bite cases 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 St. John, MO dog bite case by reaching us at (314) 900-HELP today to ask an experienced St. John, MO dog bite injury lawyer about your case.

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

To get a complete settlement that makes you whole after being harmed in a dog bite incident, you will need to work with your St. John, 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 at fault for your losses. A knowledgeable dog bite injury lawyer in St. John, MO with Combs Waterkotte knows Missouri law and has seen many different situations regarding 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 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 — irrespective of fault or intention. That means that your St. John, MO dog bite injury attorney does not necessarily have to prove that the dog owner was negligent or had the dog attack you on purpose. In your Missouri dog bite injury case, you only need to show that you were injured and that the owner’s dog bit you. Specifically, the Missouri statute lays out that the St. John or Missouri dog bite owner is liable for your injuries if:

  • you were injured as a result of a dog bite;
  • you were on the property lawfully when you were bitten (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. John, MO can get you an excellent settlement 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, 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 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 comparing the defendant’s behavior to that of a reasonable person in the same situation, your St. John, 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, some towns and municipalities have laws that require owners to keep their dogs on leashes or ban dogs from being on others’ properties without the property owner’s permission. If the person in possession of the dog violated 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 injury?

Due to the possibility of additional claims of negligence beyond Missouri’s strict liability policy, it is possible that you have other cases against other parties in addition to 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 St. John, MO may identify additional responsible defendants in your St. John, 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 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 St. John, MO about your case as soon as possible. Combs Waterkotte has a dedicated team of talented St. John, MO dog bite injury attorneys willing to fight for your recovery and make the right parties pay. You did not deserve to be attacked or harmed, and you should be allowed to recover through all avenues of compensation available to you under Missouri law. Let Combs Waterkotte help you get a just recovery. Call us now at (314) 900-HELP.

Our St. John, MO attorneys can help you seek justice in any type of personal injury or criminal case. Some of our practice area specialties include:

    Dog Bite Injury Lawyer St. John, 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. John, 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. You have a chance to receive the recovery you deserve by speaking to an accomplished St. John, 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 as soon as possible at (314) 900-HELP or reach us online to learn how we can help you with your case.

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