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 given a recovery. Though we have a number of laws in St. James 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. James, MO. When it happens to you or a loved one, we hare here to help you recover fair compensation.

If your or your family member has been injured in a dog bite incident, contact Combs Waterkotte today at (314) 900-HELP. Our St. James, MO dog bite injury lawyers represent each case fervently and with great care and dedication. You did not 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 the attack, but for a chance to collect a fair settlement, you are going to need help from a skilled St. James, MO dob bite injury lawyer. Our team of competitive attorneys have the experience and resources to get you full compensation that will restore you after been harmed. Discuss your St. James, MO case with Combs Waterkotte today in a complementary consultation today. Start by reaching us now.

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

Each dog bite injury case in the St. James, MO area is unique and you are likely to have a number of questions running through your mind after a dog hurts you. The value of a dog bite claim in St. James, MO could be anywhere from $10,000 in bites that cause minor but evident injuries to more than $100,000 for bites that cause more serious, long-term damage and costly medical bills. However, to find out the possible settlement amount you can expect to receive in your St. James, MO dog bite claim, you must speak to a qualified St. Louis dog bite injury lawyer like the attorneys of Combs Waterkotte. Among other considerations, 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. James, MO include:

The final dollar amount you recover is determined by a combination of a variety of variables, including whether you hire an experienced St. James, MO lawyer. Remember that a dog bite injury lawyer in St. James, MO like a member of the Combs Waterkotte team 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 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 about your case to find out if we can help.

How much is my case worth if I hire a dog bite injury lawyer in St. James, 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 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. 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 St. James, MO about your case. Trust the St. James, MO dog bite attorneys of Combs Waterkotte and contact us to review your dog bite injury case now.

Factors That Influence 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.
• 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.

These are all facts of your case that your Combs Waterkotte St. James, MO dog bite injury lawyer will work diligently to get to the bottom of and prove. We put the full weight of our resources behind collecting evidence, examining liability and building a strong argument to get you an excellent outcome in your St. James, MO dog bite injury claim.

In addition to the circumstances of the accident and the severity of your injuries, the total recovery your St. James, MO dog bite injury lawyer can get you is also related to 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 assesses and calculates your non-economic damages
• How effectively your dog bite injury lawyer negotiates and how resistant the defendant is

On average, settlements in dog bite attacks and other personal injury cases are around three times higher for plaintiffs who hire a dog bite injury lawyer to represent them in their claim than for those who try to settle their case without legal representation. Discover how 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 settle your case at a sum that can help you move forward in life after being harmed in a dog bite incident, you will need to work with your St. James, 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 at fault for your losses. With a Combs Waterkotte dog bite injury lawyer in St. James, MO, you have a professional who is well-acquainted with Missouri law and has seen many different situations related to 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 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 is a legal policy that names a party accountable — in this case, the dog owner — regardless of their intention or whether there was fault. In application, it means that your St. James, MO dog bite injury attorney does not necessarily have to demonstrate that the dog owner was negligent or that they intentionally allowed the dog to attack you. In your Missouri dog bite injury case, you only need to show that you were injured and it was the owner’s dog that injured you. In more certain terms, the Missouri statute lays out that the St. James or Missouri dog bite owner is legally responsible for your injuries if:

• you were injured by 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. James, MO will use our expertise to get you a fair recovery in your strict liability claim against the owner of the dog, and typically 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 lets their dog roam the neighborhood freely or fails to crate their anxious dog when strangers or children visit 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. 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 St. James, MO dog bite lawyer proves that the person is liable for your injuries by default because they broke a law that was meant to keep you safe. For example, some cities and municipalities have laws that require owners to keep their dogs on leashes or ban dogs from being on others’ properties without permission from the property owner. If the person in possession of 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?

Due to the potential for negligence claims outside of the strict liability statute in Missouri, it is possible that you have other cases against other defendants other than the owner of the dog. Depending on considerations such as the parties that were present, where the bite occurred, and what the parties in question did or did not do, your dog bite injury lawyer in St. James, MO may identify additional responsible parties in your St. James, 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 additional parties share the blame or that the owner has more blame than strict liability covers, take the first step toward your recovery and speak to a dog bite injury lawyer in St. James, MO about your case as soon as possible. Combs Waterkotte is equipped with a dedicated team of talented St. James, 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 made whole through all legal remedies Missouri law provides. The legal team at Combs Waterkotte will get you a just recovery. 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. The types of cases we take on include but are not limited to:

Dog Bite Injury Lawyer St. James, Missouri: Talk to a Lawyer Now

After facing the unexpected tragedy of a dog bite injury, a dog bite injury lawyer in St. James, MO with Combs Waterkotte will work hard to bring you justice. A dog bite is usually a traumatic experience, and the physical and psychological injuries it leaves can affect your life in profound, unrelenting ways. You have 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 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 as soon as possible at (314) 900-HELP or reach us online to learn how we can help you with your case.