Milwaukee Dog Bite Lawyer

When a dog’s owner fails to train it properly, unprovoked aggression can be the result—and so can serious injuries to innocent people. If you were attacked by a canine, find out if you have grounds to seek compensation by speaking with a Milwaukee dog bite lawyer.

An aggressive or overly excited dog can cause tremendous injuries if it bites you. The resulting damage can cost huge sums in both medical bills and lost wages while you recover. If you didn’t provoke the canine into attacking, you shouldn’t be the one paying for these expenses. Instead, you deserve to be properly compensated for your damages by the owner or handler of the dog.

You will need an experienced Milwaukee dog bite lawyer from the Law Offices of Gary Greenberg to successfully hold these individuals accountable and to retrieve the money you need to pay for your medical bills and get back to living your life.

Dealing with Insurance and Opposing Attorneys After a Dog Attack

Trying to recuperate from your injuries while dealing with any insurance company or opposing legal team is difficult. They will be doing everything they can to pay you as little as possible, sacrificing your health to save their bottom line.

No matter how compassionate or friendly these professionals might seem, always keep in mind that they’ve been trained to save their employer or client money by getting you to settle quickly and for the bare minimum. You should never accept an offer for compensation without first knowing the full value of your personal injury claim.

Your Milwaukee dog bite lawyer will be able to negotiate a much better settlement offer from these entities. Make certain to contact us quickly after the attack so that we can gather evidence and witness testimony while it’s still fresh, because this will put us in the strongest position possible at the negotiating table.

Strict Liability for a Canine Attack

Wisconsin, unlike “one bite” states, follows a strict liability regarding dog attacks, which means that the owner can be held responsible even if he or she took reasonable care to prevent injury. Unlike many other strict liability states, Wisconsin allows you to seek compensation despite the owner’s purported lack of knowledge that the dog was dangerous. This means that even if it was the first attack and that the animal had never previously shown signs of aggression, the owner is still at fault for what happened.

First Bite or Damaging Act

For the first incident involving injury or damage caused by a canine, the owner is liable for the full amount of damages, whether the dog caused injury to a person, domestic animal, or property.

Second and Subsequent Bites

Any subsequent incidents—which would mean that the owner already knew that the dog is dangerous or mischievous—are treated the same as the first unless the dog bit a person. This is because mischievous behavior such as jumping up on someone, killing livestock, or damaging property is not viewed to be as dangerous as an aggressive dog that is willing to attack people.

However, any incident after the first that meets the following criteria will make the owner liable for two times the total damages:

• The dog bit a person
• There was no provocation
• The bite involved enough force to break skin and cause permanent scarring or disfigurement

How Much Money Can I Recover for a Dog Bite?

Dog bites can be expensive, especially if they inflict wounds to your face or damage nerves or ligaments in your hands. Regardless, your settlement should include more than just financial damages. Your Milwaukee dog bite lawyer will work with your doctors to determine how extensive and long-lasting your injuries could be.

We will ensure that your personal injury claim includes any expense or loss you have suffered:

• Immediate and continuing medical expenses, including reconstructive surgeries
• Lost wages and income, as well as decreased earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional damage like a child developing a fear of dogs
• Loss of consortium, society, or companionship
• Damage to property or livestock
• Injury and medical expenses for a domesticated animal

Comparative Negligence in Wisconsin

Wisconsin follows a modified comparative negligence policy on personal injury lawsuits. This means that if the court decides that you are partially at fault for your injuries because you provoked the attack or shouldn’t have been on the property, your compensation will be reduced accordingly.

For example, if you are awarded $100,000, but are found to be 10 percent at-fault, you will only receive $90,000 in compensation. Minimizing the amount of fault placed on you is one of the primary objectives of your Milwaukee dog bite lawyer because it will maximize your compensation.

Consult a Milwaukee Dog Attack Lawyer

If you or a loved one has been injured in a dog attack, you deserve to hold the owner or handler accountable for your damages. As a victim, you aren’t responsible for what you’ve been through, and you deserve compensation for the negligence that hurt you.

Call us at 414-271-7007 to schedule a free, no-obligation legal evaluation with a Milwaukee dog bite lawyer from the Law Offices of Gary Greenberg. Alternatively, you can also fill out the form at the bottom of this page to have us call you back at a more convenient time.