Slee Blackwell win dog bite claim for woman who was told by a national law firm that her case was unlikely to succeed.
Mrs E, a keen dog walker from the West Midlands, had been out walking her dog when she passed a lady unloading her car. Suddenly a Husky jumped out of the car and attempted to attack Mrs E’s dog. During the commotion Mrs E was bitten on the back of her leg.
She attended Kidderminster Hospital where her wound was stitched. However, despite the best efforts of the NHS staff, Mrs E was left with a scar which she was very self-conscious of.
Mrs E contacted a leading national law firm to handle her dog bite claim. But when the dog owner’s insurers denied legal responsibility, the solicitors advised Mrs E that they did not feel her claim would succeed.
Mrs E’s husband felt this was incorrect and didn’t want his wife to drop her case. He believed the dog owner should be held accountable and so contacted our specialist dog bite team.
We reviewed the insurance company’s denial of liability and immediately noted the mistake they had made in applying the law to Mrs E’s case. With just one letter to the insurers we were able to get the insurers to overturn their decision and agree to pay Mrs E compensation for her injuries.
We then went on to obtain reports from three different medical specialists regarding the scarring and the dog phobia Mrs E had developed.
The insurer’s made Mrs E an offer of compensation, but we felt it was too low. Our experienced lawyers were able to negotiate a substantial increase which saw the offer rising from £4,200 to £13,500. The sum compensated Mrs E for her injuries and enabled her to receive private psychological treatment. It also enabled her to purchase specialist products to conceal the scarring.
However, if Mrs E had never sought a second opinion from us on her dog bite claim then she could have walked away empty handed, despite suffering nasty injuries.
If you’ve been told your dog bite claim won’t succeed or are unhappy with your current solicitors, then call our free legal helpline for guidance on how we can help you get the compensation you deserve. Call 0333 888 0404 or email [email protected]
