Dog Bite Injury Lawyer St. Louis County, MO
Dog Bite Injury Lawyer St. Louis County, 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 St. Louis County, 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 compensated. There are St. Louis County 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 St. Louis County, MO. When you or someone you know becomes the victim of a dog bite, it is our job to ensure that you get a fair recovery.
If your or someone you love has been harmed by a dog that bit, call Combs Waterkotte today at (314) 900-HELP. Our St. Louis County, MO dog bite injury lawyers handle each case with compassion and fervor. 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 collect a complete financial recovery for the damages and losses you have experienced because of your injuries, but in order to collect just compensation, you will likely need a skilled St. Louis County, MO dog bite injury lawyer standing by you. Our team of competitive attorneys have the skills and resources to make sure you are made whole again and allowed to move forward from this experience. Discuss your St. Louis County, MO case with Combs Waterkotte today in a complementary consultation today. Begin your recovery by contacting us now.
What compensation can I get with the help of a dog bite injury lawyer in St. Louis County, MO?
Every St. Louis County, MO dog bite injury claim is unique and it is normal 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. Louis County, MO dog bite case ranges anywhere from $10,000 for minor but evident injuries to well over $100,000 for bites that result in severe, permanent damage and costly medical bills. However, to find out the possible settlement amount you can recover in your St. Louis County, 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 the extent of the damages or losses you have experienced.
Damages you can recover in your St. Louis County, 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 final dollar amount you collect depends greatly on many factors, including whether or not you hire a lawyer in St. Louis County, MO. It is important to note that a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in St. Louis County, MO 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 the contingency-fee-basis on which we operate, which means that your Combs Waterkotte St. Louis County, MO dog bite injury lawyer will not charge you anything unless we win 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 St. Louis County, MO area provide quality legal support at no out-of-pocket costs to you. You have nothing to lose by contacting our St. Louis County, MO dog bite injury lawyer team about your case to find out if we can help.
How much can I get for my case with a dog bite injury lawyer in St. Louis County, 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 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 for your particular case outcome. Because your recovery depends on the unique circumstances and characteristics of your individual case, you need to speak to a dog bite injury lawyer in St. Louis County, MO. Turn to the St. Louis County, MO dog bite attorneys of Combs Waterkotte and contact us to review your dog bite injury case today.
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.
- You need emergency medical care due to your dog bite injuries.
- 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. Louis County, 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 trracking down evidence, determining liability and building a strong case to make sure you get an excellent outcome in your St. Louis County, MO dog bite injury claim.
In addition to the circumstances of the accident and the severity of your injuries, the total compensation your St. Louis County, MO dog bite injury lawyer can secure for you is also related to other factors, such as:
- What party or parties are 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 cost of your medical expenses
- How your dog bite injury lawyer calculates the value of 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 threefold for victims who hire a dog bite injury lawyer to represent them in their claim than for plaintiffs 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. Louis County, MO dog bite case by calling us at (314) 900-HELP today to go over your case with a knowledgeable St. Louis County, MO dog bite injury lawyer.
St. Louis County, MO Dog Bite Injury Lawyer: Who Is Liable
To get a complete settlement that makes you whole after the losses you have suffered following a dog bite incident, you will need to work with your St. Louis County, MO dog bite injury lawyer to determine who to file a claim against and who, in turn, is responsible for your damages.
The idea of liability in a dog bite or any personal injury case describes who is responsible for your losses. With a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in St. Louis County, MO, you have a professional who knows Missouri law and has seen many different situations regarding 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 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 fault or intention. In application, it means that your St. Louis County, MO dog bite injury attorney does not necessarily have to demonstrate 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 St. Louis County 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 the property lawfully when you were bitten (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 St. Louis County, MO will work to get you a fair settlement in your strict liability claim against the dog’s owner, and typically it is the dog owner’s homeowners or renters insurance that will cover the cost of 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 in their actions or failure to act, in upholding their duty of care to you. 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 St. Louis County, 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 keep you safe. For example, certain 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, you may have a case of negligence per se.
Who is responsible for my dog bite damages?
Because of the potential for negligence claims beyond Missouri’s strict liability policy, you may have a case against other defendants other than the owner of the dog. Depending on the circumstances of the parties that were present, where the bite happened, and how the parties behaved, your dog bite injury lawyer in St. Louis County, MO may build a case against other inidividuals in your St. Louis County, 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 a loved one 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, take the first step toward your recovery and speak to a dog bite injury lawyer in St. Louis County, MO about your case as soon as possible. Combs Waterkotte is equipped with a team of exceptional St. Louis County, MO dog bite injury attorneys ready 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 legal remedies 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 St. Louis County, 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. Louis County, Missouri: Talk to a Lawyer Today
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. Louis County, MO with Combs Waterkotte can help you seek justice. A dog bite is usually a traumatic experience, often leaving you with lasting physical and mental scars that can have a significant impact on your life. You have a chance to be made whole again by consulting with an accomplished St. Louis County, 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 send us a message to discover how we can help you with your case.