Posted On April 14, 2022 Personal Injury
For over 17 years, the New Jersey accident attorneys at Console & Associates Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C. have seen just how serious dog bites can be. In addition to causing lacerations and broken bones, they also cause emotional wounds that are slow to heal. If you’ve been injured in a dog attack, speak with a New Jersey dog bite lawyer at our firm today. Like the dog-bite victims below, you may be entitled to compensation. We have recovered more than $12,000,000 for dog bite victims in the past few years. If a New Jersey dog bite left you with injuries, years of pain and anxiety could be in your future. Your physical well-being and your lifestyle may never be the same. We wanted to put together some example payouts and dog bite settlements in New Jersey so you can get an idea of what the average dog bite settlement looks like.
Dog bites can cause distress and bodily harm to others. As some people are unwilling to pay for any damage caused in that manner, others may be required to seek out legal justice in suing. In 2019, nearly $796.8M was settled in dog bite claims. In total, there were 17,802 claims with an average settlement of $44,760 each. Various factors can influence how much a person is owed for compensation, as bite cases can differ from one another based on the severity of the dog bite injuries. A study by the CDC found that nearly 4.7M dog bites occurred in 1994, so these injuries are relatively commonplace. Not everyone who’s been injured pursues to use the legal system to their advantage, so it’s best if a person seeks help when possible. Dog bit compensation will vary based on the severity of the bite and other factors. A level 1 dog bit may not return any compensation, while a level 4 or 5 dog bite may return several thousand.
In August of 2007, Sue , 59, was attacked by two pit bulls that entered her home through a sliding door. Upon finding her in bed, the dogs attacked, causing injury to her face, arms and hands. The dogs had been reported to police on several occasions prior to the attack. A Washington jury decided that Sue’ case was worth $2.2 million in a dog bite settlement. Though her life will never be the same as it was before the dog attack, she won’t have to worry every day that the actions of one vicious dog will lead to financial disaster.
Back in 2010, Elizabeth, just 4 years old, was playing in her front yard when she was attacked by a neighbor’s pit bull. After seeing that the attack left her with serious physical and emotional injuries, a Pennsylvania jury decided that her case was worth a $512,000 dog bite settlement.
Thirty-year-old Anne was attacked in 2006 by a pit bull that her father was watching for a friend. The attack left her with 17 lacerations that needed 300 stitches. After considering the dog’s history and the fact that it was improperly restrained, a New Jersey jury decided that Anne’s case was worth a $1.5 million dog bite settlement.
Alan, 60, was attacked by three pit bulls as he mowed a lawn in 2008. The attack caused extensive damage to the majority of his body, and his physician predicted that his recovery would take years. After considering Hill’s medical bills, his pain and suffering and his reduced earning capacity, a Missouri jury decided that his case was worth $7.25 million.
The pet Akita that lived at the home of our client’s friend had never shown violent behavior before – but even without a history of previous aggression, the dog’s attack proved dangerous. For some inexplicable reason, the dog growled at the teenager as soon as she entered the bedroom. The Akita lunged at the girl and latched onto her face. The dog bit off a large part of the girl’s upper lip.
After the dog bite, our young client was forced to undergo reconstructive surgery to replace her missing lip. Just as extensive as the physical damage was the emotional and psychological impact of this terrifying attack on the girl’s life.
Emergency care and reconstructive surgeries are necessary in cases like this, but they’re also costly – so costly, in fact, that the expense can be a major burden to a family unless they have help paying for the treatment. The injured girl had a legal right to pursue a dog bite settlement for her injuries, but at first, she was reluctant. After all, the responsible party was her friend’s family. She feared that bringing a claim against her friend was somehow wrong or improper, or that it could damage the friendship.
Fortunately, her fears were unfounded. We explained to her that in a dog bite case, a homeowner’s insurance policy is responsible for paying for the damages of the New Jersey dog bite settlement. Once our client understood that we wouldn’t go after her friends personally, but instead seek money from their insurance company, she felt better about pursuing the compensation she deserved. In fact, her friends were completely supportive of her bringing a claim against their insurance. They understood that this was by no means a personal attack on them and that the possibility of accidents like this was the reason they had insurance in the first place. They certainly wouldn’t want their friend to suffer and her family to be saddled with debt unnecessarily.
With our client’s best interests in mind and her friends on board with her claim, our New Jersey dog bite attorneys rigorously pursued maximum compensation for our client. By the end of the claim, we had obtained $125,000 dog bite settlement from the insurance carrier on our client’s behalf.
Under Console & Associates, P.C.’s No Fee Promise, you will pay nothing for a legal consultation through which you can seek free legal advice and nothing upfront for legal representation throughout the course of your dog bite claim. You will only ever have to pay a portion of the money we succeed in getting for you, and if your dog bite lawsuit doesn’t result in a payout, you owe us nothing. If we don’t get you money, you don’t pay us anything. We advance all costs associated with filing your claim. There’s no risk to you – no up front costs and no legal fees unless we win.
Not only have we handled hundreds of dog bite cases just like yours over 25 years of legal practice, we’ve been in your shoes. At Console & Associates we know how much is at stake when your life has been derailed by another person’s negligence because many of us have been victims ourselves.
Our experienced team can help recover the compensation you deserve so that medical care isn’t out-of-reach or unaffordable, lost wages aren’t missed forever, and otherwise reclaiming your life after a devastating accident injury becomes possible again.
The compensation you receive for a dog-bite injury depends on at least three things: the medical bills that result from your injury, your level of pain and suffering and whether the injury has caused you to lose wages or has reduced your earning capacity. The New Jersey dog bite lawyers at Console and Associates P.C. can help you assess these things to determine the potential worth of your case. If a dog has attacked and injured you, speak with a NJ personal injury lawyer from Console and Associates P.C. today.
Call us today at 866-778-5500 to get started with a free consultation so you can focus on what matters most – getting better.
Getting a dog bite settlement isn’t as easy as you might hope. You could devote hours to researching the legal process, compiling documentation of your damages, and trying to negotiate a settlement—and, research shows, you would likely still end up with less than an attorney would be able to get clients, on average. Or you could let our experienced professionals pursue dog bite compensation for you while you focus on rehabilitation.
Hiring a dog bite lawyer can bring clarity to a confusing, chaotic situation and a great deal of value to your potential legal claim. During a no-cost, no-obligation legal consultation, you can learn more about what to expect from the claims process and about how the value of your case is likely to compare to average dog bite settlement amounts.
For your free consultation, call 866-778-5500 or submit our online contact form today.
This law firm is very professional, courteous, and they get the job done. I strongly recommend this law firm.
Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Amy M.
Read more reviews on Google!
