Legal Question in Personal Injury in New York
I need to know what monetary range for a dog bite case.
My son , who is 9 years old was attacked and bitten in the face by an Akita this past September 1997. He had to have plastic surgery and still has significant scarring around his mouth and under his chin. The insurance company wants us to name "a figure that we feel would compensate him for his ordeal and his scarring". We would like to know what monetary range we should consider. My husband thinks $30,000 however I feel since our son is only 9 and will live with these scars the rest of his life, we should ask for at least $75,000.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Dog Bite values
Valuing cases is not an easy task. It also is not something that can be done by plugging values of facts into an equation. Often insurance companies think that this is a good method. It is not.
As an attorney I look to the effect that this has had on the victim (your son) and how the courts in your area have valued these cases in the past. New hampshir has the full range of values for dog bites. We have had 2 million dollar verdicts and we have had $1,000 verdicts. Often the value in dog bite cases when the victim is young is the risk that the insurance company faces if the case were to go to trial.
There is a lot to be said for having an attorney do a quality workup on this case and make a presentation to the insurance company with a complete medical and future damages workup. It may add value to your case. I reccommend that you talk with an attorney in your area who has some experience with trials and dog bites.
If you would like you can e-mail me with your location and if I know of anyone in that area I would happy to give you their name. Good luck in this.
Related Questions & Answers
Looking for something else?
10,200 active attorneys ready to answer your legal questions today.
Featured Attorneys
Earn additional revenue and grow your business.
