Settlement Negotiations in Animal Attack Cases

A victim of an animal attack can demand compensation for the emotional and physical injuries he suffered during the incident. Some of the physical injuries that can be inflicted on you during an attack may include the following:

• Abrasions


• Lacerations


• Punctures


• Tissue loss and avulsion


• Crush injuries


• Fractured bones


• Sprain / strain injuries


• Scars


• Infections such as rabies, cellulites, and canimorsus infections

Aside from this, an attack may also lead to death in worst cases.

Moreover, injuries extend beyond the physical injury and damage and may result in emotional and psychological trauma. Parents who helplessly witnessed their child during an attack are also likely to experience the same emotional trauma.

Settlement

In most personal injury cases, the process of settlement negotiation begins with the victim’s demand for compensation. With the assistance of a lawyer, a victim can initiate the negotiations with the negligent owner. Animal attack incident is a strict liability issue under most state laws. Liability in cases such as these may be determined under the following situations:

• A person whose negligence caused the attack


• A person who violated a leash law or a law prohibiting animals or pets from "running at large"


• A person who kept a animal with the knowledge that it had a history of injuring people.

In such a situation, the animal attack settlement attorney can present and recover from the animal owner or his lawyer, compensation from the following damages:

• Medical Emergency Room Costs


• Hospitalization


• Plastic surgery


• Psychological & emotional trauma treatment


• Lost wages and loss of present and future earning capacity.


• Pain & Suffering

In demanding for compensation, a lawyer will present the offending party all relevant facts, evidences, evaluation and if necessary, the expert opinion of an animal trainer. Added to this, the demand will also include detailed documents about the injuries sustained, the medical evaluation and treatment made on the victim. The demand must also specify the estimated amount to settle the claim depending on the extent of injuries suffered and the cost of treatment and rehabilitation. In any case, the attorney will make take all necessary means to settle the maximum claim possible.

However, if the animal owner denies liability and refuses reimbursement, then the settlement negotiation ends and the lawyer will have no recourse but to file the necessary action in court in behalf of the victim. Settlement negotiations may again resume once the case is filed, but any agreement will have to be approved by the court since a lawsuit has already been filed before it. In this condition, a lawyer specializing in this field of law is truly needed.

Negotiating a settlement in an animal attack incident may involve several processes. From the preparation of the case to the making of demands for settlement, the services of a lawyer will prove to be vital in these situations. To assist you in times like these, you will need a knowledgeable animal attack settlement attorney who has the skills and experience in handling animal attack settlement negotiations.