Each day in the United States, nearly 13,000 people are bitten by a dog. Often without warning or provocation, a dog can bite leaving victims struggling to determine what to do next. With the help of a dedicated Arizona dog bite attorney, you will be able to navigate your way through a complicated legal system and receive compensation for your dog bite.
In most situations, it is very clear that the fault lies with the owner of the dog. In fact, the state of Arizona has generous laws that protect the victim of a dog bite. Even if it’s the first time that the dog has attacked someone or even shown signs of biting, the owner is still liable in nearly every situation. However, getting full compensation for your injury tends to only come when you have a professional attorney by your side. Stress and trauma from dog bites can cause lasting physical and emotional damage – especially for children – and partnering with a legal expert like the team at ELG ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS can be exactly what you need to address the challenge you now face.
As many as 4.7 million dog bites occur each year, and half of them involve kids. While that number is quite high, few dog bites claims are made and much of the available compensation is not paid to victims. Some estimates say that just 15,000-16,000 insurance claims are made each year for dog bites.
For anyone who has been bitten by a dog, spending a few minutes discussing your case with the legal team at ELG ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS is time well spent. Our lawyers will meet with you directly to review the details of your claim, inform you about the process of making a claim, and advise you as to the likelihood of receiving compensation for your trauma or injuries. Clic here to make an appointment and speak with a legal representative today.
Why You Should Hire a Lawyer in Arizona After Your Dog Bite
A lawyer will help you after a dog bite to advise you of your legal rights and communicate the process by which you can be compensated. It will be their job to get you the maximum compensation for your injuries.
Dog bites can cause significant damage, including nerve damage, scarring, disability, and disfigurement. Even worse, children, who are the most frequent victims of dog bites, can suffer from lasting trauma or scarring. Because dogs and children are at similar eye levels, dogs are more easily able to do damage to the child’s face. Understanding the scope of your injury immediately after the bite and assessing its lasting impact upon your or your child’s life is just one of many reasons you will benefit from hiring the Mesa dog bite attorneys at ELG ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS.
What Will A Dog Bite Lawyer Do To Help Me After A Dog Attack?
After you have become the victim of a dog bite attack in Arizona, you need the legal guidance of someone who knows and understand the laws pertaining to dog bites in our state. The skilled and compassionate lawyers at ELG ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS will do the following to help build your rock-solid case:
- Investigate the dog and owner’s prior history – While there is no legal need to establish that the dog has bitten anyone else, understanding if this animal and/or owner has a history of biting or negligence may benefit your case.
- Document your injury and subsequent medical needs and expenses – It is important to establish a clear picture of any and all damages related to the case. Particularly with children, understanding the emotional impact and long-term wellbeing is best evaluated by a professional and parties should exercise caution in not leaving dollars on the table when they do not use an experienced legal team.
- Communicate with you about your case – Your Chandler dog bite lawyer at ELG ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS will routinely communicate with you and provide ongoing documentation and review of your case. Getting help on your case does not mean handing over all control with no feedback from you. Instead, what you are doing is getting the experience needed to handle this complicated process while you move on with your life.
- Speak to the insurance company – Insurance companies have entire teams devoted to ensuring the best interest of the organization. As such, you may experience delays in communication, underestimations of payouts or lower than appropriate settlement offers. A legal partner will have insight into all of these pitfalls and will be able to advise you into the best processes and navigating these pathways.
- Preparing for and negotiating the settlement – In most instances, personal injury claims are settled out of court. No one, insurance companies included, wants to spend their time and valuable resources going to trial. An effective lawyer can help you navigate the settlement process and keep you from losing time and money in court. Still, negotiating is a unique skillset and something that can go dramatically wrong if handled by someone who does not know what they are doing.
- Taking the case to trial – In some instances, there is no way to avoid it. The only way to ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve is to take the case to trial. Should you find yourself in this situation, the attorneys at ELG ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS have expertly handled many cases that have been taken to trial. With everything from jury selection to evidence presentation to examining witnesses, your attorney will have handled it all and can confidently walk you through the process.
- Ensuring paperwork is filled in a timely manner – In Arizona, the statute of limitations on a dog bite is just one year. When you are recovering from an injury, that is not much time and ensuring you have properly captured your injury, filed the appropriate paperwork, and accurately captured your claim must all happen quickly to ensure you or your family members get the compensation that they deserve.
Why Work With ELG ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS For Dog Bite Accidents
The team at ELG ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS is committed to personal injury law. This means that we spend each and every day supporting victims just like you. No matter the type of dog or the situation the bite occurred in, you deserve to be acknowledged and compensated for your injury. Knowing that someone is by your side to handle the details of your case and ensure you get accurate payment for your injuries and medical bills mean that you can rest and recover from the traumatic event that just occurred.
Our initial consultation takes very little of your time. It will help us understand the specifics of your claim, we will explain the next steps and process from there and we will give you an understanding of what we anticipate the outlook of your case to be. Best of all, you get to meet our lawyers and determine if we are the right fit for you. Click here to schedule.
Common Questions About Dog Bites in Arizona:
Q: If I was a guest in someone’s home, are they still liable for the bite I got from their dog?
A: In Mesa, and throughout the State of Arizona, you are protected as a guest on someone’s property. Guests include social visitors, as well as meter readers, postal carriers and other delivery people, and people who are on the property to do other work. Trespassers onto a property are not protected and would receive no compensation for a bite they incurred while on someone else’s property. Additionally, if you are on a public sidewalk or park and you are bitten by someone’s dog, the owner of that dog is liable for your injuries.
Q: In Arizona, what types of things are covered or compensated when a dog bites a victim?
A: There are many costs that are incurred when a victim is bitten by a dog. The costs may include past and future medical expenses, plastic surgery, income loss, pain and suffering, disfigurement damages, and more.
Q: What are the steps to making my claim related to a dog bite?
A: First, you will want to get the contact information of the animal’s owner and any insurance details. You will also want to photograph the dog, the scene, and your bite if possible. Write down everything you can remember about the events leading up to the bite, what happened when you were bitten, and what happened immediately after the bite. Seek medical care as needed.
You will want to interview and retain legal counsel as quickly as possible. Our team of dog bite lawyers at ELG ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS is willing to meet with you to discuss your case for no charge. You will meet with our legal team, unlike many legal groups, where you meet with a secretary or other support staff. We do not take any payment upfront, and a consultation will give you a sense of how likely, and how much, compensation will be appropriate in your situation.
Q: What if the dog has never bitten anyone else?
A: While in some states, “first offender” dog owners are not held as liable for bites and injuries, that is not the case in Mesa or greater Arizona. Any and all dog owners are responsible for the training of their pets, for keeping them on a leash in public areas, and ensuring that their animals are unable to leave the property without supervision.
If you are the victim of a vicious dog attack in Arizona, you need to contact us today so we can assist you in collecting damages for your injury.