How Much is a Dog Bite Case Worth in Illinois?

Lawyers Helping Recover Damages for Dog Attack Injuries in DuPage County and Kane County

Even though dogs often serve as friendly pets, they can also be very dangerous, and victims can suffer serious injuries when attacked by an animal. Whether a person suffers physical and emotional harm from a dog bite or experiences non-bite injuries, they should be sure to understand their options for pursuing compensation from the animal's owner.

At Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices, our attorneys are highly experienced in dog bite injury cases, and we can help you understand the full value of your claim against the owner of the dog that injured you. We will work with you to determine the actual monetary value of the damages you have experienced, and we will provide dedicated representation to ensure that you are able to recover the full amount of these damages.

How Much Is My Illinois Dog Bite Case Worth?

According to Illinois law, if a dog attacks, attempts to attack, or injures a person, the dog's owner is liable for the full amount of the injury caused by the animal. The damages a victim may be able to recover in a dog bite case may include:

• Medical care - A victim should be fully compensated for all past and future medical bills resulting from the injury. The costs of emergency medical treatment, hospitalization, and follow-up care could be several thousand dollars. In more serious cases, such as those involving nerve damage, a person may require surgery or ongoing physical therapy, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars. If a dog bite resulted in scarring or disfigurement, additional cosmetic surgery may be needed, and these procedures may also result in tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills.
• Lost income - If a victim is unable to return to work while recovering from a dog bite injury, they should be fully compensated for the wages they would have earned during that time. For instance, if a person earned $45,000 per year, and they were unable to work for two months, they would lose $7,500 in wages.
• Loss of future earnings - If an injury resulted in a temporary or permanent disability that affected a person's ability to continue working, they should be able to recover compensation for the loss of the income they would have earned during the period of recovery or throughout the rest of their life. If the person in the example above was permanently disabled and only able to return to work on a part-time basis, resulting in a reduction of their wages to $30,000 per year, this would result in an annual loss of $15,000, and over a period of 30 years, this would add up to $450,000.
• Property damage - A victim should be compensated for any damage to their clothing, the items they were carrying, or any other personal property. For example, if a dog attack caused a person to drop and break a laptop computer that they were carrying, the designer jacket they were wearing was torn, and an expensive necklace was destroyed, they may be able to recover thousands of dollars for this damaged property.
• Pain and suffering - While it can be difficult to place a specific dollar amount on the physical pain and emotional trauma a victim may experience, these types of damages can have a significant effect on a person's quality of life. A victim's personal relationships may be affected, they may have trouble sleeping, and they may be temporarily or permanently unable to return to their normal life. Because of these difficulties, damages for pain and suffering may be valued in the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.

Contact a DuPage County Dog Bite Injury Lawyer

If you have been injured in a dog attack, you deserve to be fully compensated for all of the damages you have experienced. Our lawyers can work with you to determine the value of your case, and we will fight to ensure that the owner of the dog that attacked you is held responsible for the injuries you have suffered. Contact us today by calling 630-552-6860 to schedule your free consultation.