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Regardless of whether you’re a dog lover, getting bit by a dog can be an extremely serious matter. The bite can cause physical and emotional pain and scarring. If you’re bitten by a dog in Mesa or the surround areas, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. The experienced dog bite attorneys of Hasting & Hastings are here to help you understand the legal process and to help you get the compensation you may be entitled to receive. Don’t wait – schedule your free consultation now.
Experiencing a dog bite can be traumatic and confusing. A personal injury lawyer can guide you through the legal process offering vital assistance. Here’s how they can help:
Establish Liability: The lawyer helps prove that the dog owner is liable for your injuries. In most cases in Arizona, dog bites are governed by strict liability, meaning you don’t have to prove negligence to recover compensation. A lawyer can investigate to ensure that you are entitled to compensation under the law.
Gather Evidence: They’ll compile medical records, photographs of injuries, witness statements if available, and any other relevant evidence that may strengthen your claim.
Negotiate Settlements: Most personal injury cases settle before going to trial, meaning the insurance company pays out a sum of money to the injured victim. Insurance companies can be difficult to work with, but experienced lawyers have negotiation skills that they have honed over the years, ensuring you get best possible settlement offers during these discussions.
Represent You in Court: If the case ends up in court, your lawyer will represent you at all pre-trial hearings and at the trial. They will present your case and make every attempt to convince the judge and jury that you are entitled to compensation.
Your focus should be on your recovery, so let the lawyers handle these complicated steps.
As you can see, it’s crucial to have a lawyer on your side after a dog bite. Here’s why our firm is the right choice:
Expertise: With more than 90 years of combined legal experience, our team offers profound knowledge in navigating complex aspects of personal injury law, giving you an upper hand.
Dedication: We have over four decades of helping accident victims across Arizona. Our track record speaks volume about the dedication we bring to each new case that comes our way.
Convenience: With our ten office locations throughout Arizona, meeting with us never becomes a hurdle. If circumstances don’t permit you to meet with us at one of our offices, we’ll send an attorney to you.
At Hasting & Hastings, priority lies in providing compassionate yet aggressive representation for every client we work with.
Although Mesa has strict liability for dog bites, the law does have a few nuances. If you were on private property and you were bit by a dog, you must have had what is known as a “lawful presence” on that property. For example, you’re on good terms with your neighbor and you were returning a baking dish and a dog bit you. Another example is if you were leaving a shopping center and a dog bit you. If you were trespassing and a dog on that property bit you, the owner of the dog would not be liable.
One fact that will be considered is whether the dog was provoked by you to bite or attack. So, it’s important that you do not provoke a dog or you could carry some liability. Additionally, the dog owner may not be the person responsible for your injury. For example, if someone were taking care of the dog or walking the dog on the owner’s behalf, that person may carry the liability for what happened to you.
It’s best to get a case review from an experienced Mesa personal injury attorney to understand your potential legal rights.
The compensation that you may be entitled to receive depends on the facts surrounding your case. Examples include:
It can be difficult to quantify a dollar amount for some of those categories, especially in a blog post. It depends on what happened. We urge you to contact Hastings & Hastings to talk with our experienced Mesa dog bite attorneys to learn more about compensation.
Experiencing a dog bite can be disorientating, but following these steps help ensure that your health is taken care of and your legal rights remain protected:
Seek Medical Attention: As soon as possible after the bite, get medical help. While receiving treatment, remember to document injuries by writing down information you remember about the incident and taking photos of your injuries.
Report The Incident: Next, you need to report your injury to Maricopa County Animal Care and Control. This can be done online or over the phone, and it triggers an investigation into the incident.
Follow Investigation Outcomes: If the dog owner is cited as a result of the investigation, they have a mandatory court appearance scheduled. If no citation is issued, you can decide to take civil action against the dog owner.
Consult A Personal Injury Lawyer: Seeking professional help when confronted with this situation is crucial. This pivotal step will help you get justice and obtain the compensation you’re entitled to under the law.
The size of the dog or whether the dog was roaming or not doesn’t matter. Dog bites can cause serious injuries that require medical care. In Mesa, the most common injuries caused by dog bites include:
If you’re bitten by a dog, you only have a limited amount of time to file a claim. To get help with your claim and to learn how you may be eligible to receive compensation, schedule a free consultation with the experienced Mesa dog bite lawyers of Hastings & Hastings now.