If your mental image of personal injury litigation is formed by billboards and television ads, it is understandable that you would believe that personal injury lawyers can only assist those who have been wounded in car accidents or motorcycle accidents. Personal injury laws, on the other hand, apply to any circumstance in which one person’s carelessness (failure to satisfy the standard of care) directly causes another person’s injuries and financial loss. If your cousin’s dog attacks your child at a family gathering, you have the same legal recourse as a pedestrian who is hurt by a drunk motorist who flees the scene of the accident. The prospect of launching a lawsuit might be scary, especially after an occurrence such as a dog bite, in which it appears that no one is to blame. Personal injury lawsuits that go to trial are actually a relatively small percentage of all personal injury cases. It is possible that you may never have to go to court, and that your lawyer will be able to obtain the funds you require without having to file a case. The St Petersburg personal injury attorney can assist you in recovering from the financial implications of a dog attack with the least amount of financial and emotional hardship as is reasonably possible.
It is possible to suffer catastrophic financial consequences as a result of a dog bite attack.
When it comes to most American homes, financial stability is the exception rather than the rule. A personal finance maxim states that you should have an emergency fund equal to three times your monthly salary, however for the majority of individuals, this is not feasible. For more than half of all Americans, they have no savings at all, which means that the only way they would be able to pay a $400 emergency bill would be to charge it to their credit card or borrow money from a family member or friend. Medical costs are a significant component to the lack of financial stability that many Americans experience. People of all socioeconomic backgrounds, including those who are frugal and concerned about their health, can be affected by illnesses and accidents. If you have health insurance, the medical expenditures incurred as a result of a dog bite occurrence might run into the thousands of dollars. Consider how much money you would be on the hook for if you had to pay for all of these things out of pocket, even if your insurance covered some of the costs.
- A trip to the emergency room
- Ambulance transport is provided.
- X-rays or other types of diagnostic imaging procedures
- Tests of the blood
- Antibiotics or other prescription medications are available.
- Services provided by physicians in the hospital (the doctors who treat you in the hospital often send you a bill separate from the hospital bill)
- Outpatient medical services are provided by physicians.
- Physical therapy is a type of treatment that involves the movement of the body.
- Crutches and other medical equipment are examples of such gadgets.
Your dog bite attorney is well-versed in the legal ramifications of the incident.
The majority of the time, a dog bite is a once-in-a-lifetime incident unless you are extremely unlucky or unless your profession involves training dogs to behave appropriately in stressful conditions that would ordinarily cause them to become aggressive. Dog bite laws in Missouri are probably something you’ve never given much thought to. Personal injury lawsuits are no different than other types of cases, such as divorce and some types of criminal cases, in that you have the right to represent yourself. However, it is more difficult to succeed in a personal injury case than you might think. When you are collecting money, it is quite easy to make mistakes that can significantly lower the amount of money you can collect, or possibly prevent you from collecting anything at all. Some people are unaware that even if they receive a monetary judgement following a dog bite assault, they may still be liable for any medical bills or liens that the victim’s health care provider has filed against them. Furthermore, everything you said in a recorded statement to an insurance company can and will be used against you in order for the insurance company to give you the least amount of money possible under the circumstances. You might even make the mistake of assuming that because you were patting the dog rather than having it run up to you and attack you while you were just going about your business, you do not have a valid claim.
As opposed to the general public, a dog bite attorney is familiar with Missouri and municipal dog bite regulations. Missouri law holds that the dog owner is virtually always liable for a dog bite accident. This is true even if the dog is friendly and has never bitten anybody previously. It is important to note that Missouri is a “no bite” state, as opposed to “one bite” states, where it makes a difference whether or not the dog has previously bitten a person.
Make an effort to maintain your relationship with the dog’s owner.
In the vast majority of dog bite instances, the dog owner and the victim are familiar with one another. The victim is almost always a dog owner themselves, and he or she has had multiple interactions with the dog before it bites him. One of the last things you want to do is become embroiled in a court dispute with your neighbour, the parents of your daughter’s friend, or your brother-in-law. Hiring a dog bite attorney can actually help you avoid future damage to your relationship with the dog’s owner, rather than causing further damage. Contacting an attorney does not imply that you are preparing to file criminal charges against the dog’s proprietor. The possibility of criminal charges arising from a dog bite event is extremely unusual unless the owner deliberately encouraged the animal to attack the victim. Rather, it’s similar to having your insurance companies settle your claim after a vehicle accident. In reality, your attorney may be able to obtain sufficient compensation for you simply by negotiating with the insurance company. When a dog owner makes an informal pledge to pay your medical expenses but fails to do so, the relationship is more likely to suffer. The dog owner may get resentful of you for continuing to send him medical bills that he or she cannot afford to pay, and the relationship may suffer. After all, it is for this reason that individuals acquire either homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, both of which typically cover dog bite assaults.
A Dog Bite Attorney Can Assist You in Obtaining the Compensation You Deserve
A dog bite injury case provides you with the opportunity to seek and get compensation for all of the money you have lost as a result of the attack. This can involve medical bills from the past and the future. If your injuries were severe enough that you were forced to miss work as a result of them, you may be able to recover compensation for your lost wages. In the most severe circumstances, you may be able to recover non-economic damages for emotional distress and loss of enjoyment; however, this is only applicable in cases where your injuries are permanent or extremely severe in nature.
