If you’ve suffered a personal injury as the result of an animal attack, you should consider hiring a personal injury attorney to handle your claim.
Financial Liability for Your Animal Attack Injuries
Most animal attacks occur with a pet belonging to a friend, neighbor or relative and as such, you may be hesitant to file a claim, not wishing to cause trouble for the individual who owns or keeps the animal. While a pet owner or keeper is ultimately responsible for the animal, what you may not realize is that injuries caused by animal attacks are typically covered by a homeowner’s insurance policy and the insurance company is therefore responsible for paying any claims associated with your injuries.
The Initial Consultation for an Animal Attack Claim
An initial consultation meeting is the first step in hiring a personal injury attorney for an animal attack claim. Initial consultations are typically offered free of charge and are conducted in order to evaluate the legitimacy or viability of your claim under personal injury law. During the consultation, the attorney will review any records you have regarding the incident and your subsequent medical or other expenses associated with your injuries. The lawyer will also ask you pointed questions about the incident in order to evaluate the strength of your claim and to determine if you have a winnable case.
The personal injury lawyer will additionally provide you a fee schedule for their services and will discuss the manner in which charges will be incurred and paid. Many personal injury lawyers work on contingency, meaning they are not paid unless you receive compensation for your injuries, at which point they would receive a certain percentage of the damages awarded in your case.
You will also be educated during the initial consultation on how personal injury claims for animal attacks are conducted and what you should expect as a timeframe for the case to be resolved, the amount of potential damages you could receive, and other details regarding your personal injury case.
What Help can an Animal Attack Personal Injury Attorney Provide?
A personal injury attorney will help you collect the necessary documentation for supporting your claim. He or she will be the central point of contact for all negotiations and other communications associated with the case, and will also keep you informed of all the details of your claim throughout the entire legal process.
A personal injury lawyer can recommend what damages you should pursue given the particular circumstances of your case. Damages may include financial compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and even pain and suffering or other more difficult to quantify losses you may have experienced due to your injuries.
The majority of animal attack personal injury claims are settled out of court with an insurance company. Your personal injury lawyer will attempt to achieve the highest settlement possible for your injuries, negotiating damages with the insurance company in order to get you the fairest compensation available for paying your medical expenses and other costs related to your injuries.