Q: What should I expect out of settling my dog bite case?
A couple months ago I was moving into a friends house and her pitbull and rottweiler attacked me. They got my arm, upper and lower part, pretty good with their teeth and then also on both side of my hip and sliced 2 of my fingers open. Luckily my friend had USAA so I did not have to sue her to pay for the medical bills. But now that i am all healed up, have sent all the paperwork, photos and medical bills to USAA, i am ready to settle. I have spoke with an attorney and he said he would walk me through the process for free because he thinks I can do this all on my own without having to pay for an attorney. I am supposed to hopefully hear from the insurance adjuster this week with the amount she wants to settle with.
My question is, will she present a lower amount because i am not represented by an attorney? And if she does, what is my fair argument for why i should be receiving more? Basically, i am trying to act as my own attorney.
A:
Without seeing the scars it's difficult to tell. It could be a large case or small case. Were your photos taken to show all scars? Were the photos of good definition? In the best light?
Generally they will ask you what you think a good figure is or they will start out low.That's their job. If you have excess medical bills or will need scar revision that has to be factored in. Keep your eye on the statute of limitations.
Ronald V. Miller Jr. and Mr. Michael O. Stevens agree with this answer
A: As also answered elsewhere, the amount of your damages is based on a variety of factors. The amount of the medical bills and the scar issues are what drive the value in dog bite cases.
Ronald V. Miller Jr. agrees with this answer
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A: You are going to get less money because you do not have a history of filing lawsuits and taking them to verdict. USAA knows this and bakes this into their settlement offer. Should you go hire a lawyer to get more money? I have no clue. But generally speaking, the value of having a lawyer rises with the value of the case. I'm not going to get much more for you in a $5,000 case than you can get for yourself in many cases. But in larger cases, the difference can me increasing the value many times over.
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