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In Missouri, dog owners have a legal and moral duty to prevent their pets from causing harm. Unfortunately, dog bite incidents still happen, and victims can be left with severe injuries that require surgery, physical therapy, and long-term treatment.
If you sustained injuries caused by someone’s dog attacking you in Hannibal, Marion County, contact Holland Injury Law, LLC, for a free consultation. One of our highly experienced dog bite injury lawyers will review your case and walk you through your options for seeking compensation for your injuries.
Dog bites can cause various injuries, from bruising and scratches to broken bones and lacerations.
Some states use a so-called “One-Bite” rule that says dog owners are not responsible for the harm caused by their pets unless they knew or should have known their dog posed a risk. In those states, owners may not be able to be held strictly liable for the damage caused by their dog until it has already bitten or attacked someone before, which is where the “One-Bite” name comes from.
Missouri is not one of those states. A dog’s owner doesn’t need to know or have known that their dog was prone to aggression to be held strictly liable for the bite injuries it causes. This is critical for dog bite victims in Hannibal because it makes it easier for them to hold at-fault dog owners financially responsible.
Injury cases that rely on strict liability differ from those that rely on proving negligence. When proving negligence, you must provide evidence that the at-fault party’s actions went against what a reasonable person would have done in a similar situation and that you were harmed as a result.
However, in strict liability cases, you don’t have to prove that the at-fault party did anything out of the ordinary. Instead, evidence that the at-fault party’s dog bit and injured you is enough to hold the owner accountable.
Because dog owners are responsible for their pets, any injuries their pets cause through bites fall under strict liability. However, unlike some other states, Missouri’s strict liability rule for dog bites only applies to bites, not other types of injuries caused by dogs. In the case of other injuries, you must prove the dog owner was negligent in some way to obtain compensation.
Two main parties could be liable for your dog bite injuries sustained in Hannibal, MO. The first is the dog’s owner. Regardless of whether the bite occurred on the owner’s property, in public, or in another private setting, the owner may be liable for the injuries caused by their dog.
The second party that could be liable is the dog’s possessor. This refers to any person in possession or control of the dog during the attack. Examples of dog possessors include dog walkers, doggy daycares, and kennels.
In addition to these two main parties often found liable, other parties could have contributed to the attack. For example, if the dog attacked you because its leash broke, the leash manufacturer could be held liable through a products liability lawsuit.
The compensation (damages) available to dog bite victims covers various types of losses, which are the negative effects the injury has on the victim’s life.
Missouri’s statute of limitations for personal injury cases, including those arising from dog bites, gives victims five years to file lawsuits against the dog’s owner or possessor. You must file your lawsuit within this period to prevent the courts from blocking you from recovering compensation for your injuries.
Although five years may sound like plenty of time, it’s crucial that you speak with an attorney as soon as possible. This is because your lawyer needs to gather evidence supporting your case while it’s still available. If you wait too long to begin working on your case, it could be challenging for your lawyer to collect eyewitness statements and other vital evidence.
Take the following steps to strengthen your legal case after being bitten by someone else’s dog in Hannibal, Missouri:
If someone else’s dog bit and injured you in Hannibal, Marion County, contact Holland Injury Law, LLC, for a free consultation with a knowledgeable Missouri personal injury lawyer. Our firm has over 30 years of legal experience and has recovered over $300 Million for our 7,000+ clients.
We approach every case with the philosophy of treating clients like family and tenaciously fight for our clients’ rights. That’s why you can trust that you and your case are in good hands when you work with our highly qualified team.
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