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How Much Money Can I Get?
Answer:
The value of a dog bite claim will depend on three things. First, is there a basis for liability based on governing Pennsylvania Dog Law? Secondly, why types of injuries sustained and whether any lost wages resulted from the attack? Third, how serious were the injuries? Is there a deep scar or amputation? Was the emotional distress severe and life changing?
Settlements and Verdicts in Other Cases
An experienced dog bite lawyer will be aware of recent verdicts and settlement. You should recover at least as much as other dog bite victims have received. We maintain a database of previous dog bite verdicts and settlements by not only our lawyers, but other firms state-wide.
Our dog bite attorneys stay up to date on recent verdicts involving disfigurement in Pennsylvania so that we can persuade the insurance company for the defendant to give you top dollar.
Other Items of Damages To Claim
You can get paid for pain and suffering, lost wages and lost earning capacity, disfigurement (including surface scars), loss of function/feeling, out of pocket expenses, and your spouse can also sue for lost companionship (or loss of consortium). You can also advance a claim for punitive damages where the facts warrant it.
The amount of recovery varies, and our Pittsburgh lawyers fight for a substantial amount in every case. The mechanism of injury in dog bite case involves the puncture and treating of flesh, which causes permanent disfigurement. Significant compensation is needed to help make things right.
Workers’ Compensation
You can also make a claim for workers’ compensation, if you were injured in the scope of your work as a delivery person, for example, for Amazon, or Uber Eats, or UPS.
Collectability
Just because your case has a high valuation, you still have to find a way to collect money. Often, the dog owner will not carry enough liability insurance to satisfy a verdict, even though in PA, currently, in 2023, insurers cannot discriminate against any dog breed by charging higher rates for a pit bull than a retriever, for example. Thus, your lawyer has to be resourceful to attempt to collect money from the owner of a dog that caused an attack.
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Our Pittsburgh dog bite attorneys also handle claims involving a child or children. Contact our advocates for a free consultation today.