Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Washington County, MO

Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Washington County, MO. We love our pet dogs and may even go so far as to call them members of our family or fellow staff members. A lot of us have pet dogs in Washington County, MO and we get a lot of joy from spending time with them. However, dogs are still 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 Washington County and Missouri and recommendations responsible pet owners can follow to prevent dogs from attacking humans, but dog bites and dog bite injuries still occur in Washington County, 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 someone you love has been injured in a dog bite incident, contact Combs Waterkotte today at (314) 900-HELP. Our Washington County, MO dog bite injury lawyers represent each case with compassion and fervor. You did nothing to deserve to be injured and you should not have to deal with 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 suffered as a result of your injuries, but for a chance to collect just compensation, you will likely need a reputable Washington County, 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. Discuss your Washington County, MO case with Combs Waterkotte today in a complementary consultation today. Start by reaching us now.

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What compensation can I get with the help of a dog bite injury lawyer in Washington County, MO?

Each Washington County, 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 amount in damages you could recover in your Washington County, MO dog bite case ranges anywhere from $10,000 for minor but demonstrable injuries to easily over $100,000 for bites that cause severe, long-term damage and expensive medical care. Remember, though, that to find out the possible settlement amount you can expect to receive in your Washington County, MO dog bite injuries, speak to a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Washington County, MO about your case. Your compensation depends, in addition to other factors, on the extent of the damages or losses you have experienced.

Types of damages available in your Washington County, MO dog bite injury case include:

The total sum you collect depends greatly on a variety of variables, including whether you hire an experienced Washington County, MO lawyer. It is important to note that a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Washington County, 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 also takes into account the contingency-fee-basis on which we operate, which means that your Combs Waterkotte Washington 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 Washington County, MO area provide quality legal support at no out-of-pocket costs to you. There is no reason not to speak to our Washington County, 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 Washington County, 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 cause permanent scarring and disfigurement settle for closer to $100,000 and dog bites that result in permanent disability can result in settlements of 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, it is important that you talk to a dog bite injury lawyer in Washington County, MO about your case. Trust the Washington County, MO dog bite attorneys of Combs Waterkotte and contact us to review your dog bite injury case now.

Factors That Affect the Value of 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.
• 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 Washington County, 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 collecting evidence, determining liability and building a strong case to get you an excellent outcome in your Washington County, MO dog bite injury claim.

In addition to the circumstances of the accident and the severity of your injuries, the total compensation your Washington County, MO dog bite injury lawyer can get you is also related to 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 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 around three times higher for victims who hire a dog bite injury lawyer for representation than for plaintiffs in dog bite cases who try to settle their case without legal representation. Discover how Combs Waterkotte can help you collect a higher, more just settlement for your Washington County, MO dog bite injuries by reaching us at (314) 900-HELP today to ask an experienced Washington County, MO dog bite injury lawyer about your case.

Washington County, MO Dog Bite Injury Lawyer: Determining Who Is Liable

In order to settle your case at a sum that makes you whole after being harmed in a dog bite incident, you will need to work with your Washington County, MO dog bite injury lawyer to figure out 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 has to do with who is responsible for your damages. With a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Washington County, MO, you have a professional who knows Missouri law and has seen many different situations regarding liability in dog bites and other personal injury cases. 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 assigns legal accountability to a party — in this case, the dog owner — irrespective of fault or intention. That means that your Washington County, MO dog bite injury attorney does not need to show that the owner of the dog that bit you was negligent or had the dog attack you on purpose. In 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 Washington County or Missouri dog bite owner is liable 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 not trespassing and a dog bit you unprovoked, your Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Washington County, MO will work to get you an excellent 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, 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 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 comparing the defendant’s behavior to that of a reasonable person in the same situation, your Washington County, MO dog bite lawyer proves that the person is liable for your injuries by default because they broke a law that was meant to protect you. 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 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 injury?

Because of the possibility of additional claims of negligence outside of Missouri’s strict liability policy, it is possible that you have other cases against other defendants in addition to the owner of the dog. Depending on considerations such as the parties that were involved, where the bite happened, and what the parties in question did or did not do, your dog bite injury lawyer in Washington County, MO may build a case against other defendants in your Washington County, MO dog bite case, like:

• Landlords
• Stores
• Employers
• Government organizations
• Dog walkers
• Places of business 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 Washington County, MO about your case as soon as possible. Combs Waterkotte has a team of exceptional Washington County, MO dog bite injury attorneys willing to fight for your recovery and hold the right parties accountable. 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 Washington County, 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:

• Criminal Defense Lawyer with Payment Plans

Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Washington County, Missouri: Hire a Lawyer Today

After facing the unexpected tragedy of a dog bite injury, a dog bite injury lawyer in Washington County, 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 Washington County, 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 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.