Kansas City Dog Bite Lawyer

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Were you or your child bitten by a dog Kansas City, MO? You may be eligible to recover damages for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. An experienced Kansas City dog bite lawyer at Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers can advocate for the maximum compensation possible. Contact us for more information at (816) 408-3448.

For nearly 20 years, our lawyers have fought hard to protect injured clients like you. In that time, we’ve recovered more than $60 million for our clients–and we’re ready to help in your case.

Don’t wait to learn about your legal rights. Contact our law offices in Kansas City, Missouri, today and schedule a free consultation to make sure your family is protected.

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How Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Dog Bite in Kansas City

Most dog owners don’t think much about what will happen if their dog bites. It’s common to believe that dog owners can only be held liable for dangerous dogs. In Missouri, that’s not the case.

Most dog bite victims in Missouri are entitled to recover damages regardless of whether the dog owner did anything wrong. Regardless, dealing with the insurance company can be a nightmare–especially if you were seriously hurt. Hiring an attorney is the best way to protect your rights.

When you hire Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers to protect your interests, you can rest assured that our personal injury attorneys in Kansas City will:

Provide the sound legal advice you need to navigate the personal injury process
Collect all evidence, including medical records, photos, video footage, eyewitness statements and more
Engage the help of respected experts and specialists to accurately assess the value of your case
Handle all paperwork and administrative issues
Negotiate to recover the highest possible settlement award

Our Kansas City personal injury lawyers have nearly 20 years of experience helping dog bite victims recover the fair compensation they deserve. We’re always available to answer your questions, so don’t hesitate to reach out for a free case review today.

How Common Are Dog Bite in Kansas City?

There are about 4.5 million dog bites each year in the United States. In a four-year span, 3,467 residents of Kansas City, Missouri visited the emergency room with dog bite injuries.

Unfortunately, dog bite victims are often young children who might not understand how to safely approach an animal. Children are also the most likely to be seriously and permanently injured when a dog attacks.

What is My Kansas City Dog Bite Case Worth?

Value Driver #1: The Evidence

Dog bite settlements and verdicts are calculated using several different factors. Most dog bite settlements are paid by the dog owner’s homeowner’s insurance company.

Important issues include:

The type and severity of the injuries
The circumstances surrounding the dog bite
The cost of your medical care and whether you lost wages
The emotional trauma of the event

Some companies post online calculators that promise to tell you what your case is worth. Those can be misleading and could show you a number doesn’t account for the full damage you’ve suffered. If you have any doubt, call our personal injury lawyers in Kansas City for a free case evaluation today.

Value Driver #2: The Kansas City Dog Bite Lawyer You Hire

The lawyer you hire to handle your dog bite case is just as important as the evidence. This is because the lawyer’s job is to secure the evidence, analyze the law, and make claims against all potential individuals, bussinesses and companies.

What Types of Damages Are Available to Dog Bite Victims?

Kansas City dog bite statutes give victims the right to recover their economic and non-economic damages.

Economic damages reimburse you for your financial losses after an injury and often include:

Past and future medical expenses
Lost wages and income
Lost future earning capacity
Plastic surgery
Reconstructive surgery
Rehabilitation

Non-economic damages compensate for your subjective losses. A dog bite can be an extremely traumatic event–especially if the victim was a child.

Your non-economic damages award might include compensation for:

Pain and suffering
Emotional distress
Anxiety or PTSD
Disfigurement and scarring
Loss of enjoyment of life

Calculating the value of pain and suffering damages can be difficult. Our lawyers often bring in experts in psychology and medicine to provide insight and strengthen your claim.

Can I Recover Damages If I’m Being Blamed for a Dog Bite in Missouri?

Dog bite victims aren’t barred from recovering compensation if they’re blamed for the incident. Under Missouri comparative negligence rules, injured parties can recover compensation for the damage caused by each responsible party. If the victim is also partly responsible, damages are reduced to account for the victim’s share of fault.

That’s true even if you were mostly to blame for the attack. Remember, you could be blamed even if you expect your case to settle before trial. Insurance companies are always thinking about what might happen at trial–and they know how to use the law to their advantage.

You deserve an attorney who can do the same for you. If shared blame is an issue, give us a call today to speak with a lawyer who can help minimize your role in the attack.

We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Dog Bite Injuries

Dog bites can cause a variety of injuries aside from the wound itself. Some dogs have the power to knock a human over–especially if the victim is a child.

At Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers, we’ll fight to recover compensation for the full range of your dog bite injuries, which might include:

Concussions
Soft tissue damage
Cuts and lacerations
Infections
Eye injuries
Facial disfigurement
Permanent scarring
Nerve damage
Traumatic brain injuries
Spinal cord injuries
Head and neck injuries
Back injuries
Broken bones

The most severe dog bite cases can result in catastrophic or fatal injuries. It can be difficult to know what to expect if you’ve suffered a dog bite injury. Our Kansas City dog bite attorneys can help you understand your rights and options. Just give us a quick call today to schedule a free case review.

What Causes Most Dog Bites in Kansas City, Missouri?

Even a normally calm and friendly dog can react unexpectedly to certain situations. After all, the most well-trained dog is still an animal at heart.

Some of the most common reasons a dog bites involve situations where the dog is:

Afraid
Defending the owner, food or another object
Defending their territory
Sick or injured
Startled
In a new or unfamiliar place

Sometimes a dog inadvertently bites someone else during play–in other words, in a situation where no aggression or viciousness is intended.

How Do I Prove Negligence After a Dog Bite in Missouri?

You don’t usually have to prove negligence if you were bitten by a dog in Missouri. Missouri is a strict liability state when it comes to dog bites.

Under the Missouri dog bite law, a dog owner is liable for damages after their dog bites another if:

The bite occurred when victim was on public property or lawfully on private property
The dog bites that person without provocation

There is no “one bite rule” in Missouri. The owner is responsible for damages even if the dog had no former history of viciousness–and even if the dog bites someone else while on the dog owner’s private property. It does not matter if the dog was properly restrained.

Of course, there are other circumstances where it may be necessary to prove negligence in dog attack cases. The Missouri law governs injuries caused by dog bites. If you’re hurt because the dog attacked, but didn’t bite, you may have to prove negligence to recover compensation.

To establish negligence under Missouri personal injury laws, you’ll have to prove four basic elements.

They include:

The dog owner owed you duty of care
The dog owner breached that duty when their dog bit you
Their breach of duty caused your injuries
You suffered damages

There are a number of ways to prove negligence. For example, if a dog owner violates the Kansas City leash laws, the owner was likely negligent. A dog owner can also be held responsible based on prior knowledge of the dog’s vicious propensities.

Is it Possible For a Dog Owner to Escape Liability for a Dog Bite?

It’s possible. There are a few defenses a dog owner could raise in a dog bite injury case.

Those include:

You were trespassing
You provoked the animal
You were breaking the law at the time of the incident

The dog owner’s insurance company might use these defenses to avoid paying you full compensation. In these cases, it’s always important to speak with a lawyer who can fight to protect your rights.

How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Dog Bite in Missouri?

The Missouri statute of limitations in personal injury cases is five years. In plain English, that means you have five years from the date the dog bite happens to file a personal injury lawsuit.

Once five years have passed, you’ll be barred from seeking compensation.

Contact a Kansas City Dog Bite Lawyer for a Free Consultation

If you were bitten by a dog, speak with a Kansas City dog bite lawyer right away–even if the owner says the bite was your fault. You could be entitled to significant compensation. At Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers, we offer a free consultation so you can learn about your legal rights without worrying about the cost.

Our Kansas City personal injury law firm also provides: