Longmont Dog Bite Attorneys
Request Free ConsultationDog bites can cause serious injuries to victims. More than just physical harm, you can suffer emotional and mental trauma from a dog attack that can affect your life long after your physical injuries have healed. In worst-case scenarios, victims die because of their dog bite injuries.
If you or a loved one suffered severe dog bite injuries in Longmont, you may hold the dog owner accountable and obtain compensation to help you pay for your medical bills, lost income, and other damages.
The Longmont dog bite lawyers at Fuicelli & Lee are here for you to help you recover the compensation you deserve. Our legal team has extensive experience helping accident victims obtain their rightful compensation. You can contact our law firm at (303) 444-4444 for your free consultation.
Why Work With Our Longmont Dog Bite Attorneys?
Fuicelli & Lee’s motto is “Experience Matters,” and the attorneys at our law firm have almost 150 years of combined trial experience. We know what it takes to succeed at trial, and we are highly adept at negotiating substantial settlements with insurance companies.
Some important aspects to consider about working with our law firm:
- We pursue full, fair, and complete compensation for every client. Doing so allowed us to obtain more than $142 million in verdicts and settlements for our clients.
- We will provide compassionate and personalized representation while giving your case the undivided attention it deserves.
- We are tenacious and aggressive legal advocates who will fight hard for you and your family at every turn.
- We work on a contingency fee basis. This means you won’t pay us anything upfront to represent you, and we will only accept a fee if we recover compensation for you.
Our lawyers have earned stellar reputations for our professionalism and integrity, and we have received countless testimonials and five-star reviews from our clients for our outstanding service. Because of our reputation with our peers, we work as co-counsel alongside many other lawyers who bring their most difficult cases to us.
You can rely on us to carefully explain your rights and options and offer trustworthy advice on your best course of action to get the compensation you need. We will remain by your side until the end, and we are committed to doing all we can to help you through this difficult and stressful time in your life.
To begin, you can contact Fuicelli & Lee to speak with an experienced Longmont dog bite attorney at no cost. Call (303) 444-4444 or contact us online to get started.
Who Can I Hold Liable for a Dog Bite Injury?
Colorado’s dog bite laws place strict liability on dog owners whose dogs attack a person, causing serious bodily injury or death. Strict liability means you can hold a dog owner liable for the injuries their dog causes to someone else, and it doesn’t matter if the owner knew the dog was vicious, aggressive, or prone to attack.
Colorado’s strict liability allows dog bite victims to hold the dog owner accountable and pursue compensation regardless of whether the dog had ever attacked or bitten anyone before.
Therefore, you can seek compensation for your dog bite injuries in Colorado even if it was the first time the dog attacked a person. You also don’t have to prove the dog owner was negligent or intended to harm you.
However, Colorado law also provides several exceptions when you cannot hold a dog owner liable for the injuries their dogs cause. These exceptions include the victim unlawfully trespassing on the property, police and military dogs performing their official duties, and the victim provoking or antagonizing the dog prior to the attack. Professional dog handlers, veterinary workers, and dog show judges who perform their duties cannot pursue compensation following a dog bite.
To determine whether the dog owner bears liability for your dog bite injuries, contact our Longmont dog bite attorneys for a free review of your case.
Types of Dog Bite Injuries
It stands to reason that a large dog would cause more damage during an attack than a smaller breed. However, even small dogs can cause serious injuries, and some small breeds have reputations for aggression.
Although dog bites can happen to anyone, children typically account for around one-half of all dog bite victims.
The attorneys at Fuicelli & Lee have seen many injuries in dog bite victims we’ve helped.
Some of the most common dog bite injuries we see include:
- Deep puncture wounds
- Broken skin
- Cuts and lacerations
- Eye injuries
- Scarring
- Nerve damage
- Tissue damage
- Broken bones
- Crush injuries
- Disfigurement
- Emotional trauma
Along with the initial physical injury, dog bites can lead to serious infections that can cause further serious health complications. Severe dog bites can require emergency medical treatment, hospitalization, and corrective surgery to repair. They can also result in extensive rehabilitation, physical therapy, and permanent disabilities.
Dog bites can also kill. In one recent year, 49 people across the U.S. died because of a dog attack, and 13 were children.
What Kinds of Compensation Can I Get for a Dog Bite Injury in Longmont?
Following a dog bite in Longmont, you may face exorbitant medical expenses, including surgical costs. Your dog bite injuries may also require ongoing physical rehabilitation and therapy, and you may need psychological counseling to deal with the trauma of the attack. Moreover, you may have missed work to focus on your recovery and lost income as a result. If your dog bite injury resulted in a disability, you may never return to work at all, or not at the same level, and you worry about how you will cover all the costs.
Depending on the severity of your injuries and losses, you could obtain compensation for:
- Medical bills, including hospitalization and surgery
- Ongoing medical treatment
- Rehabilitation and physical therapy
- Lost income
- Lost earning potential
- Emotional distress
- Mental anguish
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement
- Loss of consortium
You need a complete medical evaluation following a dog attack, even if you do not think your injuries are serious. Some injuries may not show symptoms right away, and you need a thorough examination from a licensed physician to determine the extent of your injuries and their probable effects on your life going forward.
You want to obtain compensation for your current medical expenses and other financial losses, but you also want to obtain compensation for any medical treatment or accommodations you may still need.
According to the Insurance Information Institute, the average cost of dog bite injury claims is almost $65,000. The total cost of all dog-bite and dog-related injuries exceeded $1 million in just one year.
Our experienced Longmont dog bite lawyers can help you get the proper medical evaluation you need to fully document your injuries so you can pursue fair compensation and cover all your current and future expenses resulting from the dog bite.
How Do I Recover Compensation After a Dog Bite?
Within the practice area of personal injury law, dog bites usually fall under premises liability claims. It doesn’t matter if the dog bit you on the owner’s property or a public space you can still hold the dog owner liable for your injuries.
In most cases, the dog owner’s homeowners insurance will cover your injuries. As such, you will first file an injury claim with the owner’s insurer. Filing a dog bite claim can present many complex challenges, and you will benefit greatly from having our Longmont dog bite attorneys do it for you.
Our lawyers can gather the necessary evidence and submit your claim within any imposed deadlines. They can also file your claim properly to avoid mistakes that could jeopardize your chances of getting compensation.
When they submit your injury claim, your attorney will send a demand letter to the insurance company that details your injuries, their costs, and what makes the dog owner liable. Notice of our representation of you will also prevent the insurance company from hassling you about your claim. Instead, they will need to contact us regarding your dog bite case.
Getting an insurance company to cover dog bite injuries can be tricky. A lot depends on the dog owner’s policy and the amount of personal liability coverage available. Their policy may not cover dog bites, or their liability limits may not cover all your costs.
Defense Tactics Insurance Companies Use
Insurance companies do not like to pay claims because it eats into their profits. Insurance carriers are notorious for denying or devaluing claims to pay as little as possible.
Some common defense tactics insurance companies use to reduce or deny claims include:
- Undervaluing the extent or severity of your injuries
- Claiming your injury was a pre-existing condition
- Delaying your claim or payout without a good reason
- Misinterpreting the policy or refusing to accept policy terms
- Denying your claim unjustly
The insurance company may also place blame on you for causing the dog attack. Therefore, you should never provide a recorded statement to the insurer or submit any statements they can use against you. Hire an attorney immediately after a dog bite and have them deal with the insurance company for you.
Even if the insurer accepts your claim, they may counteroffer with a much lower settlement than what is fair. Your attorney can negotiate to get them to honor the policy and pay you the full and fair compensation that will cover all your injuries and losses.
Going to Court
If the dog owner’s insurance will not cover your injuries, or not cover the full amount, you may need to take them to court and sue them for the money you deserve. Preparing a case for trial and presenting it in court requires in-depth knowledge of Colorado law as well as civil courts and procedures. You certainly need a lawyer on your side if you think you may have to take your case to court.
Additionally, Colorado only allows injured parties two years from their injury to file a lawsuit in court. Therefore, you need to act quickly to ensure you can recover compensation for your injuries.
The attorneys at Fuicelli & Lee have many years of trial experience, and we have a long track record of securing substantial awards for our clients. We also understand how insurance companies operate and can negotiate aggressively and refute their defense tactics to help you get the maximum amount of compensation allowed under the law. While we strive to negotiate a fair settlement, we don’t shy away from going to trial if necessary.
Other Ways Dogs Can Injure You
In addition to biting you, a dog can injure you in other ways. A large dog could jump on you and knock you down, or you could fall over a dog that is around your legs or close behind you. Small children and elderly adults are particularly prone to being knocked down by a dog.
If a dog causes you to fall, you can suffer serious head injuries or traumatic brain injuries as well as back and neck injuries. You could also break bones in your arms, hands, or wrists, and you can suffer soft-tissue damage or muscle sprains and strains.
Although Colorado imposes strict liability on dog owners for dog bites, if a dog injures you in Longmont without biting or if your injuries are not serious your case may fall under a negligence standard. Essentially, you must show the dog owner owed you a duty of care and failed that duty by not taking reasonable actions to prevent injury to others.
Our Longmont dog bite injury attorneys can review your case for free and advise you of your rights and options for pursuing compensation no matter the circumstances that led to your dog-related injuries.
Contact Our Longmont Dog Bite Injury Attorneys Today
Keith Fuicelli Dog Bite Injury Lawyer in Longmont
If you, your child, or another family member suffered serious injuries from a dog bite in Longmont, contact the experienced dog bite injury lawyers at Fuicelli & Lee. We will evaluate your case at no cost and fully investigate the matter to establish the dog owner’s liability. We will also fight hard to help you fully document your injuries and obtain the maximum financial recovery possible.
Call us at (303) 444-4444 or contact us online to request a free consultation.
Fuicelli & Lee, PC – Denver Office
1731 Gilpin Street
Denver, CO 80218
PHONE: (303) 444-4444