100+ years of combined experience and over $200 million won for our clients in Missouri and Illinois. Contact a personal injury lawyer near you.
Free Consultation
(314) 500-HURTWell-trained dogs should never bite or attack anyone. If you’ve been bitten, we can help.
We often forget how dangerous dogs can be. Dogs can be dangerous if they feel threatened or if they aren’t trained right, and often, under these circumstances, they will bite. When a dog bites, even a little dog, it’s going to hurt. Their teeth are designed to do damage. If you’ve been attacked by a dog, what can you do?
Burger Law is a Personal Injury Law Firm in Illinois that is dedicated to aggressively fighting for the rights of dog bite victims. Your case is going to require expertise and a dedicated dog bite lawyer in Illinois to fight for you. Our team can guide you through your dog bite claim and make sure that you’re given the care and financial recovery you deserve. If you have any question about our personal injury firm, or how our dog bite lawyers will handle your dog bite case, call our team at 314-648-8348 or 618-226-4811. We don’t charge any fees for our consultations, and we never ask for any attorneys fees unless we win your dog bite lawsuit.
With any type of legal claim, results matter. You want to know that your giving your case to the best possible lawyer, and the they’re going to fight hard to make sure you get 100% of the recovery and compensation you deserve. A dog bite lawyer saying they’re the best is one thing, a lawyer with client testimonials and results that can prove it is another. Here are several of our most recent victories as well as client testimonials:
Here are the Missouri and Illinois laws governing dog bite lawsuits.
For Missouri, Statute 273.036 details liability in Dog Bite Lawsuits. In Missouri, the pet owner is liable for the damage the dog causes, however, the person bit, if they were partially liable for the bite, they will only be able to recover the amount they weren’t liable for. To clarify, this means that if someone was teasing or provoking the dog, they will be partially liable for the damages caused to them. However, if the dog escaped the yard or leash, and the person bit took no actions to provoke the dog, then the pet owner will hold liability. This type of law is known as Comparative Negligence, which dictates that a person will only be able to recover the amount which they weren’t liable for the accident.
For Illinois, Statute 510 ILCS 5/16 details liability in Dog Bite Lawsuits. Illinois law is quite similar to Missouri’s. If the person wasn’t trespassing, and they were legally allowed to be in the area they were in when the bite occurred, the pet owner will hold liability. If the dog was provoked, and the person was in an area they weren’t legally entitled to be in, the person bitten will be liable for a portion of the damages.
So what should you take from these dog bite laws? If you weren’t trespassing, weren’t taunting the dog, and had no reason for the dog to attack you, you won’t be held to any liability for the attack. If you provoked the animal and you were somewhere you didn’t have the legal right to be, you’re going to be partially liable for the damages caused to you. Never provoke a dog, it’s just not a smart nor safe thing to do.
Dogs use their mouths as their hands. They will eat just about anything that’s on the ground, and this can mean that their mouths can be dirty and filled with dangerous bacteria. In the event that you’ve been bitten by a dog and you have puncture wounds, what should you do? What steps should you take immediately following a dog bite?
You first have to decide how serious the bite is, and whether you need emergency services. A dog can cause serious and traumatic injuries to a person, and if you’ve been significantly mauled by a dog and are losing blood, you need to seek immediate medical help. Call 911. They will be able to help you.
If you can perform first-aid on your wounds, what should you do? There are a few steps that you can immediately take to treat a dog bite wound so that doesn’t get worse or get infected.
Here are a few of the most common bacterial infections that occur with dog bites:
Certain dog breeds have a higher chance to bite than others. Statistically, which dogs are more likely to bite people? Here are a few answers to that question:
This article from the CDC gives a comprehensive breakdown of Dog Bite Related Fatalities, and which breeds were most responsible for those fatalities.
This link houses several different statistics regarding dog bite studies, dog bite fatalities, dog bite fatality citations, and more.
Here are the dog breeds most responsible for dog bites and dog attacks:
When dogs attack someone it’s because of negligence. If the pet owner took the time to properly care for the dog, chances are that you would not have been bitten or attacked by the animal. This is a point that can be legally argued. When someone allows a negligent act to happen, they can and should be held liable for that action. Our Personal Injury Lawyers in Illinois have fought dog bite lawsuits before, and we know how to make sure you get the FULL care and recovery you deserve. Our Dog Bite Lawyers will take your claim seriously, and we’re more than willing to take your dog attacks lawsuit to court to make sure you get the respect you deserve. To learn more about our Firm, our practices, or how we can help you with your claim, call our team at 314-648-8348 or 618-226-4811. We don’t charge any fees for our consultations, and we never ask for any attorneys fees unless we win your dog bite lawsuit.
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partner, Gary Burger who has more than 30 years of legal experience as a practicing personal injury trial attorney. Gary’s robust legal knowledge is recognized by his peers as demonstrated by his industry awards and frequent Continuing Legal Education (CLE) lectures.
NO FEES UNTIL WE WIN YOUR CASE
We offer free consultations and are available 24/7 to take your call. Live chat, text, and virtual meetings are available.
or call us at
(314) 500-HURT