Pursuing a Dog Bite Claim? Contact An Expert!
Dog Bite Attorney Kevin Cortright
Fear – it’s something one cannot simply ease overnight. The painful wounds and emotional scars that are left hanging over the victim’s head won’t go away quickly. Trauma haunts not only the sufferer, but the family as well. These damages caused by being bitten or attacked by a dog is not a petty thing.
A dog attack could cause numerous physical, mental, emotional, and financial suffering for the affected party. It could even cost lives depending on the severity of the attack. Children and adults are at equal risk for dog bites and the law is concerned for the safety and well-being of its jurisdiction. A single dog bite could serve as a reason for a compensation claim or a court case to be filed against dog owners, handlers, or the people responsible for the safety of the area where the attack happened. The lawsuit could be filed under the Dog Bite Law. This law states that the dog’s handler, its keeper, or owner, is held liable for the damages their dogs would cause to other people, properties, and farm or domestic animals. The injured party could file either a financial claim or a court case to be able to recover full compensation for the damages done. And to be able to successfully win the case, a Dog Bite Attorney is needed.
A Dog Bite Attorney is a lawyer that specializes in the Dog Bite Law and other legal matters involving attacks and injuries caused by dogs. The professional handles the cases of the victims and their family to ensure them of the rightful and fair compensation for the damages that was done. Their responsibility, depending on the instruction of the client, is to investigate on the case and prove whoever is liable for the damages done by the dog at that moment. It may be the dog’s owner, its current handler, or the guardian of the compound where the attack happened.
The legally responsible party is not limited to the above-mentioned people. A Dog Bite Attorney also makes sure that the insurance company of the liable people pays the victims rightfully. If the accountable would avoid paying the damages, a court case may be filed under the same law. The Dog Bite Attorney would speak in behalf of the victim during the court trial. No matter how severe or how mild the attack may be, as long as the victim was harmed by the dog, it could be used as grounds for a case. However, an actual dog bite is not necessary to be able to file a claim under the Dog Bite Law. As long as the victim could prove that the dog showed intentions of biting or harming other people and that the dog handler is well-aware of this vicious attitude of the animal, the victim could file a case or a claim.
Proving the liability of the individual or group involved with the dog is the hardest part of the process. A Dog Bite Attorney may require evidences from the victim and the victim’s family to back up their claim if needed. Evidences of the attack may be in form of photographs, written medical reports, audio or video recordings, sworn statements of witnesses, and the physical evidence of injury acquired by the victim. The injured party could exercise their freedom to choose to just claim the compensation for the damages done without going to court.
Every state has a different scope of the Dog Bite Law, and it’s the responsibility of the victims to be aware of it and to contact a Dog Bite Attorney immediately to help them push the case before the decree of limitations run out. A Dog Bite Attorney offering legal services for dog bite victims have special techniques that would really hold the dog owner or keeper responsible for their negligence. That’s why it’s always safe to trust a specialized lawyer to handle these kinds of cases because they know better.
The question is: why is it necessary for a Dog Bite Attorney to still handle a claim even if the clients opted not to push it to court initially? There are two main reasons why.
First is the financial aspect of the claim. Without a lawyer handling it, insurance companies would be sure to take advantage of the situation and pay the victims with a much lower amount of compensation, keeping the rest to themselves. Payments received by other victims are not being publicized so the current victim would have no idea on how much he or she needs to rightfully claim from the liable party. Having a lawyer handle it would calm and ensure the injured party that they would be getting a fair settlement from their demand.
The other reason is the actual discussion of the claim with the involved parties. Most of the time, the presence of a specialized lawyer could quickly settle the claim without the need for a trial. A hurt and traumatized victim or an angry family member have tendencies to say legally unnecessary things during the discussion of the claim which causes stress to both parties and delay of the proceeding. With a Dog Bite Attorney present, the flow of the discussion would be organized and the legally important details would be tackled immediately, saving everybody the time and effort.
It is advisable to choose a lawyer who is local to the victim’s state as he or she is expected to be familiar with local court proceedings. Years of experience, as well as the ratio of cases won vs. lost are also some of the factors to consider before picking out a lawyer. Some states allow the lawyers to work on a contingency basis, some don’t. So it would always be better to seek factual information first before making a step in cases like these. Selecting the best lawyer for a case should be regarded as a priority. This is because the claim that is filed and the amount of compensation the victims would receive highly depend on the lawyer in charge. With the best Dog Bite Attorney in your fence, one is ensured that justice would be rightfully served.