Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Winchester, MO
Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Winchester, 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 Winchester, MO and interacting with any dog can bring us a lot of joy. 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 compensated. Though we have a number of laws in Winchester 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 Winchester, MO. When you or someone you know becomes the victim of a dog bite, it is our job to help you recover fair compensation.
If your or your family member has been injured in a dog bite incident, call Combs Waterkotte today at (314) 900-HELP. Our Winchester, 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 deal with the consequences on your own. Our laws in Missouri offer you a path for recourse to collect a complete financial recovery for the damages and losses you have experienced because of the attack, but in order to collect a fair settlement, you are going to need help from a skilled Winchester, MO dob bite injury lawyer. Our distinguished team of attorneys have the skills and resources to get you full compensation that will restore you after been harmed. Discuss your Winchester, MO case with Combs Waterkotte today in a complementary consultation today. Begin your recovery by reaching us now.
What compensation can my Winchester, MO dog bite injury lawyer help me receive?
Every dog bite injury case in the Winchester, MO area is unique and you are likely to experience anxiety and uncertainly about your case after a dog hurts you. The amount in damages you could recover in your Winchester, MO dog bite case ranges anywhere from $10,000 for minor but demonstrable injuries to well over $100,000 for bites that result in severe, permanent damage and costly medical bills. Remember, though, that to truly understand the possible settlement amount you can expect to receive in your Winchester, MO dog bite claim, speak to a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Winchester, MO about your case. Among other details, the amount of compensation you can recovery depends on the extent of the damages or losses you have experienced.
Types of damages available in a dog bite injury case in Winchester, MO include:
- Medical costs
- 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 total sum you collect is determined by a combination of many variables, including whether or not you hire a lawyer in Winchester, MO. It is important to note that a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in Winchester, 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 on your own. This also takes into account our contingency-fee model, which means that your Combs Waterkotte Winchester, 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 Winchester, MO area offer our dedicated representation at no out-of-pocket costs to you. There is no reason not to speak to our Winchester, 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 Winchester, 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 dog bites that result in permanent disability 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. In order to understand the complexities of your unique case and learn what to expect from your recovery, it is important that you talk to a dog bite injury lawyer in Winchester, MO about your case. Count on the Winchester, MO dog bite attorneys of Combs Waterkotte and ask us for a free review of your dog bite injury case now.
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.
- 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 required mental health treatment for the psychological injuries you suffered due to the dog bite.
When you hire Combs Waterkotte, your Winchester, 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, evaluating liability and building a strong argument to get you an excellent outcome in your Winchester, MO dog bite injury claim.
Beyond the situation surrounding the accident and the severity of your injuries, the total recovery your Winchester, MO dog bite injury lawyer can secure for you will also depend on 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 expenses
- How your dog bite injury lawyer assesses and calculates your non-economic damages
- How effectively your dog bite injury lawyer negotiates and how resistant the defendant is
Average settlements in personal injury claims like dog attacks are threefold for plaintiffs who hire a dog bite injury lawyer for representation than for those in dog bite cases who try to reach a settlement on their own. Discover how Combs Waterkotte can help you collect a higher, more just settlement for your Winchester, MO dog bite injuries by calling us at (314) 900-HELP today to go over your case with a knowledgeable Winchester, MO dog bite injury lawyer.
Winchester, MO Dog Bite Injury Lawyer: Determining Who Is Liable
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 Winchester, MO you can trust to help you 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 describes who is responsible for your damages. A knowledgeable dog bite injury lawyer in Winchester, MO with Combs Waterkotte knows Missouri law and has seen many different situations related to liability in personal injury cases including dog bite injuries. 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 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 Winchester, MO dog bite injury attorney does not necessarily have to demonstrate that the dog owner was negligent or had the dog attack you on purpose. 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 Winchester 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 not 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 Winchester, MO will work to get you an excellent 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, 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. 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 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 Winchester, 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 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 looking after or responsible for the dog violated one of these rules and their 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 potential for negligence claims outside of Missouri’s strict liability policy, it is possible that you have other cases 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 what the parties in question did or did not do, your dog bite injury lawyer in Winchester, MO may build a case against other parties in your Winchester, MO dog bite case, such as:
- 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 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 Winchester, MO about your case as soon as possible. Combs Waterkotte is equipped with a team of exceptional Winchester, MO dog bite injury attorneys willing 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 a just recovery. Call us now at (314) 900-HELP.
Our Winchester, MO attorneys have the skill and experience necessary to bring you 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 Winchester, Missouri: Talk to a Lawyer Today
After facing the unexpected tragedy of a dog bite injury, a dog bite injury lawyer in Winchester, 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. You have a chance to be made whole again by consulting with an accomplished Winchester, 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 being bitten and injured by a dog, call Combs Waterkotte right away at (314) 900-HELP or send us a message to learn how we can help you with your case.