St. Louis Dog Bite Lawyer

Dog attacks are, sadly, all too common in St. Louis, MO. Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers puts over 20 years of legal experience to work helping dog bite victims in St. Louis County. Contact our law office at (314) 400-0000 to set up a free consultation with a St. Louis dog bite lawyer who will fight for you.

Missouri law holds dog owners strictly liable for dog bites, meaning you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.

How Bradley Law’s St. Louis Dog Bite Lawyers Can Help 

When you or your child has suffered serious injuries due to a vicious dog, you deserve compensation for your financial, emotional, and physical injuries. Our St. Louis personal injury lawyer can help you hold the dog owner accountable and recover fair compensation from the insurance company.

Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers has a simple mission statement: to fight for maximum compensation for all of your damages, from every source available, and to the fullest extent of the law. Principal and founding attorney E. Ryan Bradley has been recognized with the Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating and a 10.0 Superb AVVO rating for his devotion to his clients.

Ryan belongs to the prestigious Top 100 Trial Lawyers and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

Choose Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers, and we will put our reputation and decades of experience to work to:

  • Offer the insightful legal advice and guidance you deserve to make informed decisions during your case.
  • Handle all communications and negotiations on your behalf with the insurance company.
  • Conduct an investigation of your attack to gather evidence.
  • Accurately value the damages you sustained, including working with experts to calculate future damages.
  • Pursue every avenue for compensation.
  • Take your case before a jury if the insurance company does not treat you fairly.

After a traumatic dog attack, the last thing you deserve is a stressful fight with an uncaring insurance company. Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers is ready to fight for you. Call our law office today for a free consultation to discuss how we can help you.

How Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help You After Suffering a Dog Bite in St. Louis

How Common Are Dog Bites in Missouri?

Dog bite claims are usually paid by homeowner’s insurance. This makes it easier to track the number of claims. According to the Insurance Information Institute and State Farm, dog bite-related liability claims totaled $797 million in the United States in 2019 alone. These claims were responsible for one-third of all homeowner’s insurance payouts.

In Missouri in 2018, there were 338 dog bite insurance claims with an average cost of $39,764 or $13.4 million total. Kansas City ranked as one of the top 15 cities in the U.S. for dog attacks on postal workers. The USPS reported 31 dog bites of postal workers in Kansas City alone in 2018.

It’s estimated that dogs bite 4.7 million people every year. The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control notes that there isn’t a reliable way to determine which dog breeds are more likely to hurt or bite people. However, about 25 breeds have been involved in 238 dog bite fatalities over a 24-year span.

Pit bulls, Rottweilers, and their mixes are responsible for over 50% of dog bite fatalities. This is not necessarily a problem with the dogs’ temperament but merely a matter of their bite strength and size. Chihuahuas, known for a propensity toward biting, are not capable of causing the injuries a large dog can.

What Is My Dog Bite Case Worth?

It may help to know the average dog bite insurance settlement in the U.S. was $44,760 in 2019. However, this is only an average for the entire country. 

The value of your dog bite claim depends on many factors, including highly personal and unique factors, such as:

  • The circumstances of the attack
  • The amount of insurance coverage available
  • The age of the victim
  • Whether the bite caused disfigurement, permanent impairment, or disability
  • Economic losses like the cost of current and future medical care
  • The severity of the injuries, types of treatment needed, and length of recovery 

At Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers, we will not rest in seeking maximum compensation for all of your damages. We can review your case during your consultation and help you understand what your claim may be worth.

What Compensation Can I Recover for My Dog Bite Injuries in St. Louis, Missouri?

When you suffer a dog bite from someone else’s dog, the dog owner can be held strictly liable for the damages you have suffered. 

You may be entitled to non-economic and economic damages for:

  • Medical bills, including current and future medical needs
  • Lost wages for time taken off work to recover
  • Reduced earning capacity if impaired or disabled 
  • Pain and suffering
  • Disfigurement
  • Mental anguish
  • Emotional distress
  • Loss of enjoyment of life 

You can count on the experienced St. Louis dog bite attorneys at Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers to help you build a strong case for the full damages you deserve.

Our St. Louis Dog Bite Lawyers Will Fight to Recover Compensation for All Your Injuries

Victims of a dog attack can be left with traumatic, painful, and disfiguring injuries. Sadly, many victims of dog bites are children. Young children may approach a strange dog or fail to recognize signs of aggression and fear in an animal. Nearly 65% of dog bite injuries to children under four are to the neck and head.

Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers will fight for maximum compensation for all of the injuries you or your child sustained, including:

  • Lacerations
  • Punctures
  • Contusions
  • Crush injuries
  • Fractures
  • Facial injuries to the eyes, mouth, nose, and ears
  • Avulsion injuries, which happen when the muscle, tendon, joint capsule, or ligament is pulled from the bone
  • Infection such as tetanus, MRSA, and rabies
  • Nerve damage 

Dogs often bite the arm or the hand, but they tend to go for the face and neck in children. When a small child is the victim, or the aggressive dog is a large and powerful breed, a bite can easily fracture bones and lead to permanent scars.

At Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers, we make it our mission to fight for maximum compensation for all of your injuries to the full extent of Missouri law. Contact us to request a free consultation to discuss how we can help you seek compensation for your injuries.

Are Dog Owners Strictly Liable for Dog Bites in St. Louis, MO?

Missouri no longer has a “one bite law.” Under one bite laws like Kansas’s, dog owners can be held liable if they knew the dog was likely to bite or had bitten someone before.

In Missouri, dog owners are held strictly liable for dog bites. So, what does that mean? It basically means you do not need to prove negligence. 

Under the Missouri Revised Statutes Section 273.036, dog owners are liable if:

  1. A dog bite caused the injury;
  2. The injured person did not provoke the dog; and
  3. The victim was lawfully on private property or on public property. 

Even if the dog owner took reasonable measures to restrain the dog and prevent an attack (wasn’t negligent), they are still responsible for all damages caused.

Note that this statute is specific in covering dog bites, as opposed to scratches or injuries resulting from a dog jumping on someone. In these cases, it’s necessary to bring a negligence claim. This would require proving the dog owner failed to exercise reasonable care and caused the injuries.

In strict liability dog bite cases, dog owners generally have two defenses: the victim provoked the dog, or the victim was trespassing.

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

The Missouri statute of limitations to bring a dog bite lawsuit is five years from the date of your injury. If your lawsuit is not filed before this deadline passes, you will be barred from recovering any compensation for your injuries.

Five years may sound like a long time. However, the more time passes, the harder it becomes to gather proof and document the cause of your injuries. Contact Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers as soon as possible to protect your dog bite case.

Contact a St. Louis Dog Bite Injury Attorney for a Free Consultation

A dog attack can be terrifying and leave victims with permanent scars, pain, and fear. If someone else’s dog has bitten you or your child, Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers is here to help you hold them accountable. Contact our law office for a free case review with a compassionate St. Louis dog bite lawyer who can help you.

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