Valuing the Pain and Suffering of a Person Varies by the Case

After a severe dog attack, courts often work with attorneys to determine the damages caused by the bite. This is an infamously inexact science. Usually, the lawyers cannot agree, and the case goes to trial. However, in other cases, the right attorney can work out a settlement without going before a jury.

So this is where the skill and experience of a trusted law firm like the Ehline Law Firm APLC plays a key role. Also, despite the extent of the injuries and the potential costs, not every case is the same regarding liability. In some cases, we’ve seen the victim severely injured. Everyone involved agrees with that. However, the dog owner acted responsibly.

Perhaps they properly restrained the dog. Maybe the owner also adequately trained the animal, but it snarled and attacked. Or the dog had all its shots. However, they share some responsibility for what happened. We also look to see if the victims took the proper steps to mitigate their injuries. Where do we draw that line?

Determining the Cost of Suffering

There are often common traits that lawyers and courts look for to determine the liability for such a dog attack.

This usually includes the suffering of the victim. This can include:

• The immediate cost of medical treatment. Often this includes hospital bills not covered by insurance or the cost of copays.
• The long-term cost of therapy. Long-term medical treatment is often much larger than the first emergency room bill. And this can include weeks or months of hospital stays. In other cases, it can consist of severe physical therapy. But in other cases, it may have treatment for PTSD or related emotional trauma.
• Loss of earnings. An experienced attorney works with experts determining how much you lost by not being able to work. And this may include legal help assisting attack victims with programs such as disability and unemployment insurance.
• Loss of enjoyment. Most of all, this is often the saddest, including losing the victim’s everyday life. No price tag can accurately describe this feeling.

For more info about determining the values of your dog bite injury, contact Ehline Law today.