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When most people picture a dog, they imagine a wagging tail and the almost-smiling face of a friendly canine. Those who have experienced a dog attack, however, can have a very different image in their heads.
You may be surprised to know that as many as 334,000 people throughout the United States are admitted to ERs every year because of dog bites. If you’ve experienced an attack that resulted in injuries, you may be able to file a claim to get compensation for what you’ve suffered.
The team of dog bite lawyers at Holland Injury Law can help you through the claims process. Learn more about the laws regarding dog bites and how our team can help.
If you’re walking in Lowenstein Park and a dog runs after you and bites you, what are your rights? Do you have to show that the dog has already bitten someone and their owner should have known to keep them on a leash?
Because Missouri holds dog owners strictly liable if their pet bites someone, you don’t have to prove anything beyond having been legally on the property where the accident occurred and not having provoked the dog. That means you don’t have to prove negligence on the owner’s part.
When filing a dog bite claim, keep in mind that there are time limits you need to abide by. These are statutes of limitations. You have five years from the day of the attack to file a dog bite claim, though some exceptions can shorten that time. Because you can lose all chances of getting compensation if you miss the deadline, you need our lawyers to help you file on time.
A dog’s powerful jaws mean that an attack could easily send you to Saint Luke’s East Hospital. Here are the most common injuries that people suffer as a result of dog bites.
Abrasions are superficial injuries that include scratches and grazes. These affect just your top skin layer. There may not be a lot of blood with these injuries, but there’s still the risk of infections and developing scars.
Lacerations are deeper tears. They go past your epidermis and could affect muscles, ligaments, blood vessels, and even bones. Lacerations can have a telltale zig-zag pattern and can cause significant bleeding. You will probably need stitches for these injuries, so you must visit a medical professional quickly.
The size of a dog’s canine teeth can lead to puncture wounds that are more serious than even lacerations. You may not see a lot of blood, but puncture wounds cut deep. They put you more at risk of developing infections.
Large dogs have such powerful jaws that they can not only fracture but also crush your bones. At the same time, they can severely damage surrounding tissues and cause nerve damage as well as scarring.
If a dog grabs a part of your body and tears it off, it’s called an avulsion. They can tear chunks of skin off as well as fingers. These types of injuries require extensive reconstructive procedures and can cause significant scarring.
A dog’s mouth is full of bacteria that can quickly invade your body via a bite. Your own skin has germs that can find their way in through wounds, causing a varying degree of health issues. In the worst cases, you can develop sepsis, which is your body’s response to a severe infection.
To avoid complications, it’s essential that you get emergency medical care immediately after the attack. With prompt care and a strong round of antibiotics, you can avoid dealing with life-threatening infections.
It’s common for dog bites to leave scars because of the damage their teeth can do to tissues. The risk of scarring can increase if you don’t get immediate medical care. Facial scarring can have the most severe impact on your life and can require reconstructive surgery.
Experiencing a dog attack is often a highly traumatic experience that could leave you struggling with depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s not unusual for victims to develop phobias.
If a dog bites you, you may have the right to claim compensatory damages. These include economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages focus on quantifiable losses you suffered because of the dog bite. Medical expenses fit into this category, including the cost of any future care that you’ll need.
Suffering injuries can keep you from going to work, which means losing salaries, commissions, and bonuses you would otherwise have received. Economic damages help you recover these lost wages. If you’re not able to return to work in the same capacity or at all because of your injuries, you can claim loss of earning potential.
Not all of the losses you experience after a dog bite are financial in nature. Non-economic damages allow you to get compensation for the pain and suffering you’ve endured as well as for loss of enjoyment of life if the injuries keep you from living as you used to before the accident.
If a loved one died in a dog attack, you might have the right to claim loss of consortium. Loss of consortium compensates you for the loss of support and companionship you’ve suffered because of this death.
Filing a dog bite claim is not as straightforward as you may think. One of the most complex aspects of it is negotiating with insurance companies. They’ll always try to keep from paying you what you deserve, and that can often mean attempting to place the blame for the attack on you.
The insurance company may try to claim that you provoked the dog, or it could threaten not to pay at all unless you accept a low offer. All of those tactics can be additionally traumatizing, and that’s not something you need to deal with after suffering a dog attack.
The team of Lee’s Summit dog bite lawyers at Holland Injury Law has decades of experience representing clients in these types of claims. We will aggressively negotiate with insurance companies to help you get fair compensation. Because we are also fierce litigators, we’ll never shy away from taking your claim to court if it’s in your best interests.
Above all, we offer the support you need as you go through this difficult time. We can provide guidance and that added bit of strength you may need to fight for your rights.
After suffering a dog attack, you need tenacious and compassionate lawyers who will advocate for you during negotiations and even litigation. At Holland Injury Law, we bring more than 30 years of experience to every case we take on. Using that experience and dedication, we have recovered over $300 Million for our 7,000+ clients.
We’re proud of our more than 1000 5-star reviews and continue to strive to ferociously help our clients through the challenges they face. Contact our team to learn more about starting a claim.
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