Dog Bite Lawyer Fort Collins

A dog bite can happen in seconds. One moment you’re walking past a neighbor’s yard or visiting a friend. The next, you or your child is bleeding, frightened, and trying to understand what just happened. The physical pain is immediate. The emotional aftermath—especially for children—can last much longer.

You might feel caught between the reality of your injury and the fact that you know the dog’s owner. Maybe it’s a neighbor you wave to every morning. Maybe it’s a family member. That conflict doesn’t make the bite marks disappear. It doesn’t reduce the medical bills or erase the nightmares your child is having.

Dog owners in Colorado are responsible for their animals. That responsibility doesn’t change based on how friendly the dog usually is or how long you’ve known the owner. If you or someone you love was bitten by a dog in Fort Collins, you have rights—and those rights exist to protect you when someone else’s pet causes harm.

Ley de Colorado sobre mordeduras de perros

Colorado statute 13-21-124 makes dog owners strictly liable for serious bodily injury caused by their dog. That means if a dog bites you and causes substantial injury, the owner is responsible regardless of whether the dog has ever shown aggression before. You don’t need to prove the owner knew the dog was dangerous. You don’t need to prove negligence.

The law recognizes a simple fact: when you keep a dog, you take on the responsibility for what that dog does. If the dog seriously injures someone who is lawfully in a public place or lawfully on private property—including the dog owner’s property—the owner is liable.

Serious bodily injury under Colorado law includes injuries that involve a substantial risk of death, serious permanent disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of a bodily function or organ. Most dog bites that send someone to the emergency room or require surgical repair meet this threshold.

For injuries that don’t meet the strict liability standard, you can still pursue a claim based on negligence—if the owner failed to exercise reasonable care in controlling their dog and that failure caused your injury.

Common Dog Bite Injuries in Fort Collins

Dog bites are not minor incidents. Even medium-sized dogs can exert hundreds of pounds of pressure per square inch. A single bite can:

• Tear through skin, muscle, and tissue
• Break or fracture bones
• Damage nerves, potentially causing permanent loss of sensation or function
• Sever tendons
• Cause deep puncture wounds that lead to infection
• Leave permanent scars, especially on the face, hands, and arms

Children are at particular risk for facial injuries because of their height relative to most dogs. A bite to a child’s face can require reconstructive surgery and leave scars that last a lifetime. The psychological impact of that trauma can shape how a child sees the world for years.

Infection is a serious concern with any dog bite. Dog mouths carry bacteria that can cause cellulitis, abscesses, sepsis, or even rabies in rare cases. Even if a wound looks manageable at first, infection can develop rapidly and require hospitalization.

Qué hacer inmediatamente después de una mordedura de perro

The moments after a dog bite are critical for both your health and any potential claim. If you or your child has been bitten:

Get to safety. Move away from the dog. If the dog is still aggressive or unsecured, prioritize getting to a safe location before anything else.

Busque atención médica de inmediato. Even if the bite seems minor, see a doctor. Dog bites can cause internal damage that isn’t immediately visible, and the risk of infection is real. Emergency rooms and urgent care centers can clean wounds properly, assess the full extent of injury, and start preventive treatment for infection or rabies if needed.

Documenta la escena. If you are able, take photos of your injuries before they are cleaned or treated. Photograph the location where the bite occurred. If there are witnesses, get their contact information. Note the time, date, and circumstances.

Identifica al perro y a su dueño. Get the owner’s name, address, and contact information. Ask whether the dog is current on rabies vaccinations. If the dog is a stray or the owner is unknown, report the incident to Fort Collins Animal Control immediately.

Reporta la mordedura. Contact Fort Collins Police Services or Larimer Humane Society to file an official report. This creates a record of the incident and helps protect others if the dog has a history of aggression.

Mantenga registros. Save all medical records, bills, prescriptions, and documentation of time missed from work. Photograph your injuries as they heal. Keep a journal of your recovery and any ongoing symptoms, especially if you or your child is experiencing anxiety or fear around dogs.

Seguro de hogar y reclamaciones por mordeduras de perro

Most dog bite claims are paid through the dog owner’s homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy. These policies typically include liability coverage for injuries that occur on the insured property or injuries caused by the insured person—including injuries caused by their dog.

This is important because it means pursuing a claim doesn’t necessarily mean taking money directly from your neighbor or friend. Insurance exists for exactly this reason: to cover liability when accidents happen.

Insurance companies, however, are not on your side. They will look for reasons to deny your claim or minimize the payout. They may argue that you provoked the dog, that you were trespassing, or that your injuries aren’t as serious as you claim. They may offer a quick settlement that sounds reasonable but doesn’t account for future medical needs or the long-term psychological impact—especially in children.

You are not required to give a recorded statement to the insurance company. You are not required to accept their first offer. You are allowed to have an attorney review any settlement before you sign.

Compensación a la que podría tener derecho

Una reclamación por mordedura de perro puede incluir una indemnización por:

Gastos médicos. Emergency room visits, surgery, stitches, antibiotics, rabies or tetanus shots, follow-up care, reconstructive surgery, therapy, and any ongoing treatment.

Salarios perdidos. If your injury caused you to miss work, you can recover compensation for that lost income. If your injury affects your ability to earn income in the future, that can be compensated as well.

Dolor y sufrimiento. Physical pain, emotional distress, anxiety, and trauma are real damages. For children, a dog bite can cause lasting fear, nightmares, and behavioral changes. For adults, the psychological impact can interfere with daily life, relationships, and mental health.

Cicatrices y desfiguración. Permanent scars—especially on visible areas like the face, neck, or hands—can affect self-esteem, social interactions, and quality of life. Compensation accounts for the physical and emotional impact of living with those scars.

Future medical care. Some injuries require ongoing treatment, physical therapy, or additional surgeries down the road. Your claim should account for those future needs, not just the bills you’ve received so far.

Cuando el dueño del perro es alguien que conoces

One of the hardest parts of a dog bite case is when the owner is a neighbor, friend, or family member. You may feel guilty about pursuing a claim. You may worry about damaging the relationship. You may downplay your injury or your child’s trauma because you don’t want to cause trouble.

Here’s what you need to know: your injury is real. Your child’s fear is real. The medical bills are real. The fact that the dog is “usually friendly” or that the owner “feels terrible” doesn’t change any of that.

Filing a claim through the owner’s insurance is not an attack on them personally. It’s using the system that exists to cover exactly this kind of incident. Most responsible dog owners carry insurance for this reason. They understand that even well-trained dogs can bite under the wrong circumstances.

Your responsibility is to your own recovery and your child’s well-being. That’s not selfish. That’s what any reasonable person would want for you if the situation were reversed.

Mordeduras de perro que involucran a niños

Children are disproportionately affected by dog bites. They are more likely to be bitten on the face and head. They are less able to defend themselves. And the psychological trauma can be profound and lasting.

A child who is bitten by a dog may develop a fear of all dogs, even small or clearly friendly ones. They may have nightmares. They may become anxious in situations where dogs might be present—parks, friends’ homes, walks around the neighborhood. That fear can persist for years and affect their quality of life in ways that aren’t immediately obvious.

If your child was bitten, take their emotional response seriously. Therapy and counseling are legitimate medical expenses. A child’s psychological recovery is just as important as the physical healing, and a fair settlement should account for both.

What If the Dog Was a Stray or the Owner Is Unknown

If you were bitten by a stray dog or the owner cannot be identified, your options are more limited but not eliminated. You may have coverage through your own health insurance or uninsured motorist coverage if the bite occurred while you were walking or jogging and your auto policy includes that protection.

It’s also critical to report stray dog bites to Fort Collins Animal Control immediately. Rabies is a serious concern with any unknown dog, and Animal Control needs to attempt to locate the animal to determine its vaccination status. If the dog cannot be found and tested, you may need to undergo rabies post-exposure prophylaxis, which involves a series of injections.

¿Cuánto tiempo tiene para presentar una reclamación?

In Colorado, the statute of limitations for personal injury claims—including dog bites—is generally two years from the date of the injury. If the injury involved a minor, the clock may not start until the child turns 18, but waiting that long is rarely advisable.

Two years might sound like a long time, but evidence fades. Witnesses move. Memories become less reliable. Medical records can be harder to obtain. The sooner you consult with an attorney, the stronger your case will be.

If your claim involves a government entity—for example, if the bite occurred in a city park or involved a dog owned by a government employee acting in their official capacity—special notice requirements apply, and the deadlines are much shorter. You may have as little as 180 days to provide notice of your claim.

Why You Need a Fort Collins Dog Bite Lawyer

Insurance companies have teams of lawyers and adjusters whose job is to pay you as little as possible. They know most people have never filed a claim before. They know you’re dealing with pain, medical appointments, and the stress of recovery. They use that to their advantage.

An experienced dog bite attorney levels the field. We know what your case is worth. We know the tactics insurance companies use to undervalue claims. We know how to document injuries, gather evidence, and build a case that reflects the true cost of what you’ve been through.

We also remove the burden of dealing with insurance adjusters from your shoulders. You shouldn’t have to negotiate your child’s trauma or explain your scars to someone whose job is to minimize them. You should be focused on healing, not fighting with an insurance company.

Serving Fort Collins and Northern Colorado

McCormick & Murphy, P.C. represents dog bite victims throughout Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley, Longmont, Boulder, and the surrounding communities in northern Colorado. We know Colorado’s dog bite laws. We know how local insurance companies handle these claims. And we know what it takes to get fair compensation for injuries that should never have happened.

If you or your child was bitten by a dog, you don’t have to face this alone. You don’t have to accept the insurance company’s first offer. And you don’t have to feel guilty about standing up for your rights.

Llámanos al 888-668-1182 for a free consultation. We’ll review what happened, explain your options, and help you understand what a fair outcome looks like. There’s no obligation and no cost unless we recover compensation for you.

También puedes visitar nuestro sitio web en mccormickmurphy.com to learn more about how we help injury victims across Colorado.

Your injury matters. Your child’s fear is real. And you have every right to seek accountability and compensation from the person whose dog caused harm. Let us handle the legal fight so you can focus on healing.