Were you or your loved one bitten by a dog in Waldorf, MD? Dog bites and attacks can result in serious injuries. Dog owners and their insurance companies don’t always want to take full responsibility. An experienced Waldorf dog bite lawyer at Alpert Schreyer Personal Injury Lawyers can fight for the compensation you deserve.
With over 125 years of experience, you can count on our legal team to fight for every available dollar. In fact, we’ve already recovered millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for our satisfied clients.
You may deserve a substantial compensation award for medical bills, lost wages, and your suffering and trauma. Contact our law offices in Waldorf, Maryland, at (301) 932-9997 to schedule your free consultation today.
Why Should I Call Alpert Schreyer Personal Injury Lawyers For Help Recovering Compensation for Dog Bite Injuries in Waldorf?
Dog bite injuries can be traumatizing. They can also cause debilitating injuries. You shouldn’t have to deal with the financial consequences alone. The dog’s owner should be held accountable.
For more than three decades, our team at Alpert Schreyer Personal Injury Lawyers has stood up to insurance companies and defense teams to recover compensation for our clients. We know that recovering compensation is critical to your future.
Our Waldorf personal injury attorneys are prepared to help by:
- Carefully investigating the circumstances of your case
- Locating evidence to prove your case
- Identifying all responsible parties, including the dog’s owner and others who may have been responsible for the animal
- Consulting respected experts in relevant fields
- Defending against claims that you provoked the attack
- Negotiating for a full and fair insurance settlement
If the insurance company fails to offer an acceptable settlement, our Waldorf personal injury lawyers will fight for you at trial. To learn more about this area of law, call for a free consultation today.
How Common Are Dog Bites in Maryland?
CDC research estimates that about 4.5 million Americans report dog bite injuries each year. More than 800,000 dog bite injuries are serious enough to require medical care. Every year, some reports show that more than 10,000 dog bites are reported across the state of Maryland.
Serious dog bite injuries are expensive to treat. According to the Insurance Information Institute, insurance companies nationwide paid over $1 billion to settle dog bite injury claims in 2023.
What is My Waldorf Dog Bite Case Worth?
While this is an important question, it’s always a difficult one to answer. No two people are exactly the same. Even when dog bite injuries are similar, victims are impacted differently and will experience unique losses.
Here are some of the factors that will ultimately impact the value of your personal injury claim:
- The type of injuries you’ve suffered
- Whether you’re diagnosed with a long-term or permanent impairment
- The trauma you have experienced due to the attack
- Your medical treatment and rehabilitation costs
- Your projected costs for ongoing medical care, surgeries, rehabilitation, etc.
- How your ability to work has changed due to the dog bite
- How your future is likely to change due to the ordeal
Most homeowners’ and renters’ insurance policies cover dog bite injury claims. Even after accepting liability, the insurance company is likely to fight you on the value of your case. It’s important to work with a lawyer who will take the time to evaluate all of your losses–both financial and personal.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Dog Bite Injury Victims in Waldorf?
Like any personal injury victim, dog bite injury victims can seek compensation for economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic damages compensate you for any financial loss you have suffered because of the dog bite injury. While economic damages vary from case to case, examples are:
- Current medical bills, including ER visits, doctor’s visits, hospital stays, reconstructive surgeries, medications and more
- Future medical expense
- Lost wages during your recovery
- Lost future earning potential
- Physical therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Property damage
- Out-of-pocket expenses
Non-economic damages attempt to compensate you for the pain, suffering, and trauma you have experienced. Some examples include:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Physical disfigurement and scarring
- Diminished quality of life
- Fear and anxiety
- Emotional trauma
- Depression
- PTSD
These non-financial losses can be especially difficult to prove. Maryland also limits the value of your non-economic damages claim. Still, these damages can become an important part of your settlement or verdict. It’s important to have an experienced attorney who can help you establish their value.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer in Maryland?
At Alpert Schreyer Personal Injury Lawyers, we work on a contingency fee basis. Like most injury law firms, we don’t charge a retainer fee to hire us. We receive our attorneys’ fees once your case has been resolved. When we successfully recover compensation in your case, we take a fixed percentage of that compensation.
How Can Maryland Shared Fault Laws Impact the Value of My Dog Bite Injury Claim?
Shared fault is typically an issue when the owner claims the victim provoked the dog to bite. Allegations of shared fault are particularly serious in Maryland. Victims can’t recover compensation if they share any blame for their injuries under Maryland’s contributory negligence system. That’s true even if your percentage of fault is only 1%.
The harsh system gives insurance companies strong motivation to blame victims. If someone is claiming you were responsible, contact our law firm right away. An experienced attorney will know how to defend you.
How Does My Family Prove We Deserve Compensation After a Dog Bite Injury in Maryland?
Generally speaking, Maryland follows a strict liability law when it comes to dog bite injuries. When a dog bites and injures someone, it creates a presumption that the dog’s owner knew about the dog’s vicious or aggressive propensities.
In other words, you won’t have to prove the dog’s owner was careless or did something wrong. The law presumes that the owner knew about the danger, and so is responsible for the resulting damages. The presumption, however, is rebuttable. If the dog owner can prove they couldn’t have known their dog was likely to attack, the strict liability law may not apply.
That doesn’t mean the dog’s owner gets off scot-free. Instead, the burden shifts to the victim to prove the dog owner was somehow careless or negligent. Dog owners may be found negligent, for example, if:
- They allowed the dog to roam free and unconfined
- They violated Charles County leash laws
In other words, if the owner fails to exercise reasonable care to keep the dog restrained or confined, they can be liable when their dog injures someone else.
Are There Defenses to Maryland’s Dog Bite Laws?
There are several possible defenses to watch out for if you’ve been bitten by a dog in Maryland. The dog owner may escape liability if any of the following are true:
- The victim was trespassing on the dog owner’s property
- The victim did something to provoke, tease, torment, or abuse the dog
- The victim was committing, or attempting to commit, a crime at the time of the attack
If the dog’s owner is asserting a defense, it’s important to contact an experienced Waldorf dog bite attorney. We can help you gather the evidence you need to prove you deserve compensation.
How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit After a Dog Bite Injury in Maryland?
The statute of limitations in Maryland is three years. You have three years from the date of your dog bite injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. After the deadline passes, you give up your right to damages.
Exceptions do exist. For example, in dog bite cases where the victim is a child, the statute of limitations doesn’t start to run until the child turns 18. This is the case when the parents decline to take legal action on behalf of their child.
We Handle All Types of Dog Bite Injury Claims in Waldorf
Serious dog bite injuries are typically jagged wounds. That can make them difficult to treat. Injuries tend to be most severe when a dog knocks a smaller victim to the ground. In these cases, any number of injuries are possible.
At Alpert Schreyer Personal Injury Lawyers, we have the skills to help you recover compensation for all of your dog bite injuries, including:
- Broken bones
- Concussions
- Lacerations and puncture wounds
- Infections, which can result in amputation and loss of limbs
- Permanent scarring or disfigurement
- Facial injuries and trauma
- Dental injuries
- Eye injuries
- Dislocations
- Soft tissue damage
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord damage
- Head and neck injuries
- Rabies exposure
- Severe bleeding and bruising
- Organ damage
- Sepsis and shock caused by infection
- Paralysis
- Fatal injuries and wrongful death in extreme cases
If you or a loved one are struggling with dog bite injuries, contact our law firm in Waldorf today. We’ll fight to recover compensation for all of the injuries you’ve suffered.
Contact an Experienced Waldorf Dog Bite Lawyer for a Free Case Review Today
Our experienced Waldorf dog bite lawyers are ready to help you hold the dog’s owner responsible for the consequences you’re dealing with. To learn more about your legal options after you’ve been bitten by a dog in Maryland, call Alpert Schreyer Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation today.