Colorado Springs Dog Bite Lawyer

The attorney you want fighting for you when an animal attacks

Some people think animals always give a warning before they attack. That’s a misconception. One moment, you might be petting a friendly pup in a Pleasant Valley park and the next you’ve got a serious dog bite.

A lot of personal injuries can result from a dog bite or another pet attack, including puncture wounds, broken bones, eye injuries, scars, head and neck damage, disfigurement and even death, in some cases.

At The Longo Law Firm, LLC, we know that dog bites happen all the time and that many of them are devastating to families. Each year, people report about 4.5 million dog bites in the U.S. and 800,000 of those bites require medical care. In just one year, the insurance industry paid out $530 million in compensation for dog bite claims nationwide.

If you’ve been hurt by a dog or another domesticated animal, you are most likely owed compensation for your injuries and other damages, like lost wages and transportation to and from medical appointments.

Getting results for the injured in Colorado Springs

Contact The Longo Firm, LLC, for a free case evaluation. Our legal team will listen to what happened, get an understanding of what you need to recover from the attack and talk with you about the best legal strategies for your claim.

Colorado Rules

In Colorado, dog bite victims are rarely allowed to seek damages for minor wounds.

The most common type of dog bite is a nip or light bite. In fact, the tiny chihuahua is often considered the dog breed most likely to bite someone. Fortunately, the 3-to-6-pound dog’s bark is worse than its bite.

The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region has three categories of “serious” dog bites.

• Moderate - One deep puncture, multiple moderately deep punctures and/or lacerations.
• Severe - Multiple punctures and/or lacerations, deep gashes, damage resulting in serious bodily injury or permanent disfigurement.
• Fatal - Resulting in the death of a domestic animal or human.

If you were seriously injured by a dog or another domesticated animal in Colorado, you may be able to seek compensation for:

• Medical treatment
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of income
• Rehabilitation
• Emergency medical care
• Mental anguish
• Cancelled trips
• Lower quality of life

What should I do after a dog-bite?

If you’ve been bitten, here’s what you should do in most cases:

• Find the owner. Ask whether the pet is up to date on their rabies and other vaccinations.
• Visit the doctor. Even if the owner was able to produce their pet’s vaccination papers for you on the scene - a rare occurrence - you should still see a doctor right away. You need to have the wound cleaned so it does not get infected. You may also need stitches for the wounds to heal properly.
• Report the bite. If you haven’t already done so, the medical professional who treated you will report the bite to animal control. An animal control officer will investigate the dog’s history and whether it has all its shots.

What happens next is up to you and the dog’s history.

Can I make a dog-bite claim?

Colorado has prepared a list of qualifications a person must meet if they want to make a successful claim for animal-bite compensation. In most cases, you can file a claim or take legal action for a dog bite if:

• You were lawfully on public or private property.
• You did not see any posted “no trespassing” or “beware of dog” signs.
• The dog was not being used by police officers or military personnel in the line of duty.
• You did not knowingly provoke the attack.

You may not be able to collect damages if:

• The dog was working - and under the control of the owner - at the time of the bite. It's hard to claim compensation if the animal was being used to hunt, herd, farm, ranch, remove predators, provide security, or some other type of assignment.
• You overreacted to a dog’s presence. Say, for example, you were walking down the sidewalk and got scared by the sudden appearance of a barking dog behind a strong fence. If you rushed out into the street to avoid the animal and were hit by a car, in most cases, you would not be able to file a claim.
• You were bit while at work in the pet-care industry. This applies to vets, groomers, handlers, and other types of pet professionals.

Reporting the bite

All bites that rise to the level of medical care should be reported to the Humane Society by the victim and/or the person who provides medical treatment. Someone from the office will investigate the pet’s bite history, medical and vaccination records.

In Colorado, if a dog has seriously bitten other people before it attacked you, and the owner had knowledge of this, he may be ordered to euthanize the animal.

If the dog has never bitten other people, then you may be able to seek economic damages like lost wages, but not noneconomic damages like pain and suffering.

Which dog breed bites the most?

Canine Journal has put together a list of dog breeds most likely to bite you. Fortunately, there is not much overlap between this list of frequent biters and the dogs with the strongest and most damaging bites. Still, some of these dogs can cause major injuries.

Among the dog breeds most likely to bite you are the:

• Chihuahua
• English Bulldog
• Bulldog
• Pit Bull
• German Shepherd

Dogs with the strongest and most dangerous bites often descend from mastiffs and include the Kangal, American Bandogge, Cane Corso, Dogue De Bordeaux, and English Mastiff.

Move forward after your accident

It’s important to have a lawyer by your side during the bite-claim process if you want to demand the money you deserve for medical bills and other damages, the legal term for financial compensation.

Pet owners love their animals. They will often say anything to keep their pets from being labeled as “dangerous” because it’s a step closer to forced euthanasia.

At The Longo Law Firm, LLC, we understand this instinct, even though it’s misplaced. We get to the truth of the matter. When we negotiate for your settlement, it’s with a deep understanding of Colorado law and how it applies to the accident. If an insurance company tries to minimize or reject your claim, attorney Stephen A. Longo knows how to blow their arguments apart and demand the maximum payout for your injuries.

When you seek compensation through a claim, you are not taking money away from the dog’s owner, who may be a friend or neighbor. Money for your injuries is paid by insurance companies.

Attorney Longo represents most injury victims on contingency, meaning there is no upfront expense, retainer, or hourly rate for you to pay. Our legal fee is calculated into your final settlement or verdict and paid for by the insurance companies. We only get paid when we win.

Contact The Longo Firm, LLC, today to schedule a free, no-obligation case review to learn more about your claim’s value.