Dog Bite Lawyer in Lexington, SC
Establishing Whether You Have a Case After a Lexington dog bite
A few points that combine to make a decent claim following an animal attack are the legal liability of the defendant, whether or not the defendant has got insurance, and whether the damage justifies significant reparation. If you were bitten by a dog in Lexington, call the experienced Lexington dog bite lawyers at the Jeffcoat Firm to determine the value of your case.
How do you establish that the defendant is really responsible for the Lexington dog bite?
If the state where the event happened includes a strict liability dog bite law, the answer will be an absolute yes. When there’s not any such statute, there could be a strict liability regulation in the city or region where the event transpired, and the response would be an absolute yes. In regions where there’s no strict legal liability law or regulation, the answer will be yes (in almost all states) if the injured person is able to demonstrate one of three issues:
- For starters, you must establish that the pet has attacked other people previously or has acted in a violent manner AND that the dog’s owner was conscious of it.
- The next matter to establish is that some other person (a third party), probably a landlord or somebody else, was negligent in the dog attack incident.
- Last of all, you have to establish that a 3rd party was in direct violation of a pertinent law, for example, leash laws.
The next concern is whether or not the lawfully accountable person is covered by insurance. People who live in a home that they do not rent are often insured for animal bites by the home insurance on the property. For circumstances in which the responsible individual leases their home, they might or may not have renter’s insurance policies to cover you. A lot of people reside in condo properties or in trailers, and they also may or may not have insurance policies. In case your Lexington dog bite incident occurred on a property belonging to a landlord, a corporation, or an organization, they should have insurance policies also.
Whether there is insurance is important for a couple of reasons. Without being insured, for one thing, the defendant probably will not have the means to pay you the due damages. With insurance, there is a resource for them to do this. Next, this would mean that the victim is able to retain a Lexington dog bite lawyer on a contingency fee structure, also called a “no compensation, no fee” basis. Without any insurance coverage to compensate you, there is no source to compensate an attorney. It’s not going to matter when you succeed if the defendant has no way to pay. You will need to have a Lexington dog bite lawyer whenever your damages are significant and call for medical attention. Otherwise, you may not be capable of getting the compensation you need, even if there’s insurance available.
Having tackled these issues and determined the answers you are looking for, you need to think about the amount of reimbursement you could be due, and whether it is sufficient to have your case worthy of pursuing. A few issues that will assist you to figure out if your claim is worth pursuing range from the cost of your healthcare, any lost wages, any kind of deformity or lasting scarring, and the stress related to the dog attack or bite. Insurance policy adjusters will be able to approximate the value of your claim, but they are going to do so with the best interests of the insurance provider in view. A Lexington dog bite lawyer at law will also determine the value of your claim, but with the interests of you in mind. You don’t want to merely trust the insurer to reasonably evaluate your claim; you want to speak with an experienced dog bite lawyer. Remember the costs and energy of pursuing a dog bite case, and realize that the benefits might not be worth the cost. It depends on the case.
The concerns of legal responsibility, insurance, and probable net compensation can be hard to resolve; in fact, it is infrequent for the right answers to be obvious. Animal attack law offers defenses for pet owners, including provocation, a presumption of the hazard, and trespass; their insurance companies can depend on exemptions, exceptions, and insurance policy definitions that sometimes are very controversial. You should possess proof that would succeed at court, although it’s extremely improbable that the case is going to go to court.
Receiving Damages for a Lexington Dog Bite
When you receive damages for the personal injury, you will also have to reconcile the demands of the treating doctors and health insurance provider. In addition, a person’s settlement can have tax outcomes especially if it’s invested, injured parties who already receive federal government assistance could lose them except in cases where the dog bite settlement money is dealt with a specific way, and most wounded children must make a court appearance once the case ends.
Victims of animal bites can greatly gain from the advice and guidance of a Lexington dog bite lawyer because of this. Fortunately, Lexington dog bite attorneys that manage these kinds of cases usually provide a complimentary consult. Because this consultation costs nothing, you’ve got nothing to lose by getting the advice of a Lexington dog bite lawyer.
You are able to find out more regarding your rights and options as a dog bite victim at http://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t47c003.php
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Firm founder Michael Jeffcoat takes pride in having built a law firm that embodies his commitment to helping people who have been injured or wronged. After receiving a B.A. degree in Political Economy and Philosophy at Wofford College in 1994, Jeffcoat went straight to the University of South Carolina School of Law. While there, in addition to his studies, he participated in Moot Court, the University’s trial competition, clerked in two U.S. Attorney’s Offices (Columbia and Seattle) and also the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office. Mr. Jeffcoat completed his Juris Doctor degree in 1997.