Practice Area
Bitten or attacked by a dog? Colorado makes owners responsible for serious bite injuries, even if the dog never bit anyone before. We pursue the full claim, and you pay nothing unless we recover.
When you hire Smith & Weidinger, you work with the lawyer handling your case, not a call center. Founding partner Matthew A. Weidinger focuses on serious-injury cases with complex liability and damages. Before co-founding the firm, he worked at large and small personal injury firms in Denver and Colorado Springs and served as a Deputy District Attorney in Mesa County.
We handle dog bite and dog attack claims from our offices in Denver (1040 S. Gaylord St.) and Colorado Springs (415 N. Tejon St.). Many of these cases involve people who know each other: a neighbor, a friend, a relative. Clients often worry about suing someone they know. In most cases the claim is paid by the owner’s homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, and our job is to make sure it covers everything the bite cost you.
Colorado has a strict liability statute for serious dog bites (C.R.S. 13-21-124), with limits.
Get medical care right away. Dog bites infect easily, and a doctor needs to assess rabies risk. Report the bite to local animal control, which also creates a record of the dog and its vaccination status. Photograph the wounds as they heal, and get the owner’s name, address, and insurance information. Most dog bite lawsuits in Colorado must be filed within two years.
Dog bite claims are usually paid by homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, not by the owner personally. Nationally, insurers paid $1.57 billion on 22,658 dog-related injury claims in 2024, an average of about $69,000 per claim, according to the Insurance Information Institute and State Farm.
Colorado personal injury
A quick offer may not cover scarring, surgery, or counseling. Get a free consultation with a Colorado injury attorney. Not a screener.
You pay nothing upfront.
Not a call center.
Serious-injury crashes and the insurance claims that follow.
Commercial trucking crashes with complex liability.
Injuries caused by dangerous property conditions.
Dog bite injuries are often underestimated at first. A wound that’s stitched in the emergency room can leave a scar that needs revision surgery, nerve damage in a hand, or a child who is afraid to go outside. Insurers make early offers before any of that is clear.
We build the claim around the full injury, and we look at the dog’s history because it decides which claims are available.
Every dog bite claim is built from the same pieces:
Photos from day one onward, medical records, and specialists' opinions on permanent scarring and function.
Prior bites, complaints, animal control records, and what the owner knew.
Where it happened, why you were there, and whether any exception could apply.
Homeowner's, renter's, and umbrella coverage.
Scar revision, therapy, and counseling, especially for children.
We look at all of it. Then we decide, with you, whether to settle or file suit.
You talk with a lawyer, not a screener. We explain your options, the deadlines that apply, and how our contingency fee works.
Get the care you need. We deal with the insurance companies and help coordinate MedPay, health insurance, and providers so your treatment doesn't stall.
We collect the reports, photos, video, witness statements, and records, and we send preservation letters before evidence is lost.
Once your doctors have a clear picture of your recovery, we document your losses (medical bills, lost income, future care, and how the injury changed your life) and present the claim.
We negotiate with every insurer involved, and with the health plans and providers that want to be repaid, so more of the settlement stays with you.
If the insurer won't be fair, we file suit before the deadline and prepare the case for trial. Most cases settle, and that preparation is what gets them to a fair number.
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These are the questions we hear most after a dog bite. The answers below are general. The injury, where it happened, and the dog’s history decide how they apply to you.
For serious injuries, yes. If a dog bite causes serious bodily injury or death to someone lawfully on public or private property, the owner is liable for economic damages even if the dog never bit anyone before. There are exceptions, including trespassing and provoking the dog.
Often, but not under the strict liability statute alone. Pain and suffering usually requires a negligence claim, for example that the owner knew the dog was dangerous or let it run loose.
Yes, if the bite caused serious bodily injury and no exception applies. For less serious bites, a claim may depend on what the owner knew about the dog or whether the owner broke a leash or animal control law.
Usually insurance. Homeowner’s and renter’s policies commonly cover dog bite liability, so the claim is typically paid by the insurer, not the owner personally.
Generally two years from the bite. Evidence like photos, witness memories, and animal control records is easiest to gather right away.
Get medical care, report the bite to animal control, and photograph the injuries as they heal. Children are bitten on the face more often than adults, and scarring and fear can last. We can explain how a child’s claim works and what it should cover.
