Recovered Over $300 Million for Our 7,000+ Clients
Dogs all have different personalities, just like people do. Unfortunately, this means that some dogs have aggressive personalities and are more likely to bite a person without being provoked. It’s frightening to be attacked by a dog and painful to be bitten, but it can also be dangerous. Dozens of people are killed by dogs every year, and hundreds of thousands are injured.
A dog attack can happen anywhere in Rolla, Missouri, from Pine Street to Green Acres Park to the Ozark Rivers Audubon Nature Center. If you’ve been injured in a dog attack in Rolla, you have a lot of things to deal with. The pain of your injuries is only part of it. You also have medical bills and other expenses to worry about. The dog owner is responsible for their dog’s actions, and they should pay your bills and other expenses. You can hold them accountable by filing a dog bite lawsuit.
Holland Injury Law is a personal injury law firm serving Rolla, Missouri, and Phelps County. We have been helping injured people in Missouri for over 30 years, and we know how to collect maximum compensation for your losses. If you’ve been bitten by a dog in Phelps County, Missouri, contact Holland Injury Law today.
A dog bite lawsuit is a type of personal injury lawsuit, but the laws in a dog bite case differ from those that govern a typical personal injury case. In a personal injury case involving a car accident or a slip-and-fall incident, you must prove that the defendant did something negligent to collect compensation.
That’s not true in a dog bite lawsuit. Under Missouri law, a dog owner is strictly liable for the expenses and losses that result whenever their dog bites another person without provocation. This is true whether the dog attack happens in public or on private property, as long as the victim of the attack has a lawful reason for being there.
The law specifies that the dog owner is liable regardless of whether the dog has any prior history of viciousness. You don’t need to prove that the dog has ever shown itself to be vicious before, or that the owner knew of the dog’s past vicious behavior. This makes it much easier to pursue your claim because the only defense the dog owner can use is to claim that you provoked the dog somehow.
Medical expenses can include doctor’s or emergency room bills, the cost of physical therapy or occupational therapy for severe injuries, medication such as pain control or rabies vaccinations, and any nursing care you need.
Lost income can include wages or commissions lost because of time missed at work. If you suffered injuries so severe that you can no longer practice the same career, you can also seek compensation for lost earning capacity.
Pain, suffering, and emotional distress are not financial losses, but you can still seek compensation for those personal types of harm. If a violent dog attack has left you with a fear of dogs and other distressing emotional problems, you can seek damages to compensate you for that.
The owner of a dog that attacks and bites someone may face other consequences besides their liability in the case. They must pay a fine of up to $1000, and they risk criminal charges if their dog ever bites another person.
It’s a crime to keep a dangerous dog in Missouri. Missouri law defines a dangerous dog as a dog that bites a person after previously biting a person or a domestic animal without provocation. Keeping a dangerous dog is a Class B misdemeanor unless the dog attack causes serious injury, in which case it is a Class A misdemeanor. If a dog causes serious injury on two separate occasions, then keeping it is a Class E felony. Keeping a dangerous dog is a Class D felony if the dog attacks and kills someone.
Any time a dog attacks a person without provocation and causes death or serious injury, or attacks people on two separate occasions, the county sheriff or animal control officer will seize the dog and impound it for 10 days. After 10 days, the animal will be destroyed.
What should you do if a threatening dog approaches you and seems likely to attack? The most important point is to remain calm. Back away slowly and tell the dog “No” in a firm voice. It can be dangerous to turn and run unless you can quickly get to safety, because it can trigger predatory instincts in some dogs.
If the dog bites you, your priority should be to avoid dangerous injuries. Raise your arms in front of you to protect your head and your neck. If you fall down, try to get up again immediately or curl up into a ball if you cannot.
After the attack, you need to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Dog bites can cause infections, so you need to get your wounds cleaned and treated. If you don’t know whether the dog that attacked you was vaccinated against rabies, you need to get rabies shots to protect yourself.
Get the dog owner’s name, address, and contact info if you can. You will need this information to file a lawsuit and collect damages for the attack.
You don’t have unlimited time to file a lawsuit after a dog attack. Under the Missouri statute of limitations, you must file any personal injury lawsuit within five years of the incident that caused the injury. The sooner you contact a personal injury lawyer in Rolla, Missouri, after a dog attack, the better. If the insurance company knows you still have ample time before you need to file a lawsuit, your lawyer will be in a stronger negotiating position.
If you’ve been bitten by a dog and injured in Phelps County, Missouri, a personal injury lawyer can help. Holland Injury Law has decades of experience with dog bite cases. We have recovered over $300 Million for our 7000+ clients.
We are deeply familiar with insurance company tactics and how to counter them effectively. The insurance company is primarily interested in making a profit, so they will try to dismiss your claim if they can or offer you as little as possible. We won’t let them get away with it.
Holland Injury Law will fight for your rights as an injured person and will always push for the highest possible levels of compensation. If the insurance company won’t offer a fair settlement in your case, we aren’t afraid to take them to court.
You don’t need to worry about how you can afford a lawyer. Our initial consultation is free, and we won’t charge you anything until we succeed in collecting money for you. If you’ve been bitten by a dog in Rolla, Missouri, contact Holland Injury Law today.
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