Lakewood Dog Bite Lawyer

Dog bites send hundreds of thousands of people to the emergency room every year. A peer-reviewed study in the journal Injury Epidemiology found 344,201 people nationwide were treated in an ER for a dog bite in a single year — enough to rank dog bites as the 13th leading cause of nonfatal ER visits in the country. 

A bite that seems minor at first can still leave lasting damage. Most of the time, it’s not a stray on the trails at Bear Creek Lake Park or around Belmar — it’s a dog the family already knows. A Lakewood dog bite lawyer can deal with the insurance company so you or your child can focus on getting better.

• 20 years of Colorado casework behind us: Levine Law was built by Jordan S. Levine, and our attorneys have carried that work forward for two decades. Meet our team and see who could take your case.
• Results you can check for yourself: Our multi-million-dollar case results and verdicts are public, and so are our client reviews.
• We handle the full range of injury claims: From dog attacks, car crashes, and premises cases — all on contingency, so you pay nothing unless we win.
• A free call, no pressure: Contact our Denver office, and check out the awards and recognition our attorneys have earned.

Waiting costs you real ground in a dog bite case – or in any case. Colorado only gives you two years to file, and every week that passes makes the Lakewood Animal Control report, your medical records, and your photos harder to pin down. Starting early protects all three.

What should you do immediately after a dog bite in Lakewood?

If this just happened to you, get medical care, report the attack to Lakewood Animal Control, and document everything — the wound, the scene, the owner’s information — before any of it disappears. Here’s what each of those steps looks like in practice.

• Get medical care first, not paperwork. Dog bites get infected easily and can damage nerves deep under the skin, so a wound that looks manageable right now can turn into something worse by tomorrow. St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood is a Level I trauma center, and kids with bite injuries are often treated at area ERs too. Getting checked early does two things at once: it starts the wound healing correctly, and it ties your injury to the attack on the medical record — something you cannot go back and create later.
• Report the attack. Once you are safe and being treated, call Lakewood Animal Control at 303-987-7173, a police department unit. This is the call that opens an official investigation, places the dog under rabies quarantine — a watch period to check for signs of rabies — and puts a dated record of the attack on file. (Jefferson County Public Health runs a rabies quarantine countywide alongside Animal Control, so both agencies may end up involved.)
• Get the owner’s information. Do not let the dog owner walk away without their name, address, and home or renter’s insurance information, and ask whether the dog’s rabies shot is current if the moment allows for it.
• Take photos. Before you leave the scene or the memory blurs, photograph the wounds before and after treatment, any torn clothing, and the exact spot where the attack happened.
• Get witness information. If anyone saw what happened, get their name and phone number too; an outside witness matters most later, if your account and the owner’s don’t line up.

What actually happens after a dog bite in Lakewood?

A Lakewood Animal Control investigation and quarantine can take days to finish. Getting full medical records and photos from your doctors can take time too.

Meanwhile, the dog owner’s home or renter’s insurer may call you fast. An early call from an insurer often comes with an attempt to downplay the attack or suggest you provoked the dog, asking before you have any real sense of how bad the scarring, nerve damage, or emotional trauma will turn out to be. Sharing the basic facts is fine. Agreeing to a recorded statement before you have talked to a lawyer is not — it hands the insurer a version of events frozen at the moment you knew the least.

How does Colorado’s dog bite law work?

Colorado dog bite claims can generally proceed under different legal theories, and the applicable theory can affect what damages you may recover. Under C.R.S. § 13-21-124, certain serious dog-bite injuries can trigger strict liability for economic damages, making it important to understand which rules apply to your Lakewood case. 

• Strict liability track. This applies when the dog caused serious bodily injury or death. “Strict liability” means the owner has to pay even if they had no idea the dog was dangerous — you do not need to prove they knew. But this track only covers economic damages, meaning money losses like medical bills and lost wages.
• Negligence track. This is how you reach non-economic damages — pain, scarring, and emotional trauma. To get there, you must show the owner was careless or already knew the dog was dangerous. Smaller injuries that don’t meet the “serious bodily injury” bar also fall on this track.

C.R.S. § 18-1-901(3)(p) defines “serious bodily injury.” It includes a substantial risk of death, serious permanent disfigurement, or prolonged loss or impairment of a body part or organ, as well as breaks, fractures, penetrating wounds, or second- or third-degree burns. In a Colorado dog-bite case, whether an injury meets this definition can affect whether the statute’s strict-liability provision applies, so accurate medical documentation of the injury’s nature and extent can be important. 

What injuries are common in Lakewood dog attacks?

A dog attack rarely stops at a surface wound, and the worst ones leave damage that lasts a lifetime. When a bite lands on the head or neck, the face bears the brunt of it — a national study of pediatric ER cases found 63.9% of those injuries land there, well ahead of the mouth (19.1%), head (9.1%), ear (5.3%), and neck (2.0%). How severe the injury usually shapes both how long you take to heal and what the claim is worth. 

Here is what we see most:

• Torn skin that turns into infection. A dog’s bite drives bacteria deep into the wound, so even a small puncture can turn serious within days without fast treatment.
• Damage you can’t see from outside. Bites often tear nerves and muscle underneath the skin, which can leave a hand or limb weaker long after the surface heals.
• Scars that stay for good. Bites to the face, hands, or arms often leave a permanent mark — kids are hit with this outcome especially often.
• A second injury from the fall. Getting knocked down during an attack can cause a head injury or traumatic brain injury, a real risk when a small child is the one attacked.
• Fear that outlasts the wound. Many victims develop a lasting fear of dogs or symptoms of post-traumatic stress — real harm, even once the skin has healed.

Across the country, dogs sent about 350,000 people to the emergency room for bite injuries in 2018 — close to 107 out of every 100,000 people — according to Tuckel and Milczarski in Injury Epidemiology (2020). That number covers the whole U.S., not just Colorado, but it shows how often these attacks land someone in the ER. Because scars and emotional harm can be permanent, getting medical and mental-health records early protects both your health and your claim.

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Who is liable for a dog bite in Lakewood?

Under C.R.S. § 13-21-124, the dog’s owner is on the hook first, and their home or renter’s insurance usually covers the payout. But the owner isn’t always the only one who can be held responsible:

• Whoever controls the property. A landlord, HOA, or property manager who knew — or reasonably should have known — a dangerous dog was living there can be held responsible under Colorado’s Premises Liability Act, the law that requires a property owner to keep the place reasonably safe.
• Whoever was watching the dog. A dog-sitter, family member, or anyone else in charge of the animal at the time of the attack.

What can a dog owner argue in defense?

Colorado’s dog bite statute (C.R.S. § 13-21-124) hands owners a specific list of defenses that can shrink or wipe out a claim, which is why it helps to plan around them from day one:

• The victim was on the property unlawfully — trespassing, in plain terms.
• The property had a posted warning, like a “No Trespassing” or “Beware of Dog” sign.
• The dog was a working police or military dog on duty.
• The victim provoked the dog into attacking.
• The victim was a vet, groomer, dog handler, or trainer hurt while doing that job.
• The dog was working as a hunting, herding, farm, ranch, or predator-control dog on its owner’s own property — less common in Lakewood than in Colorado’s rural counties, but still on the books.

There’s a second layer even when a defense doesn’t fully sink a claim: Colorado’s modified comparative negligence rule (C.R.S. § 13-21-111) — the rule for splitting blame between people. A jury can pin some of the fault on you, say for provoking the dog. Land at 49% or below, and your payout shrinks by that percentage. Hit 50% or more, and you recover nothing.

Attorney insight: What makes Lakewood dog bite cases complex?

Most victims assume a bad bite settles the question of who pays for everything — it doesn’t. A serious injury locks in the owner’s duty to cover your medical bills, but the pain and scarring that often matter most still have to be proven separately.

Here is what tends to complicate a Lakewood dog bite claim:

• Winning liability isn’t the same as winning full compensation. Under C.R.S. § 13-21-124, a serious bite locks in the owner’s duty to cover economic losses — medical bills, lost wages — automatically. Reaching pain, scarring, and trauma money still requires showing the owner was careless or already knew the dog was a risk.
• One legal definition can decide the whole case. C.R.S. § 18-1-901(3)(p) sets the line for “serious bodily injury,” and which side of that line your case falls on is often contested. The way a wound gets documented can push a case onto — or off — the strict-liability track.
• The defense has a ready-made playbook. That same statute gives owners specific arguments to raise: provocation, trespassing, or that the victim was a vet, groomer, or handler on the job. A claim that hasn’t planned for these ahead of time is exposed.
• Fault gets divided, not just assigned. Colorado’s modified comparative negligence rule applies to dog bites just like any other injury claim — get tagged with some of the blame, and your payout drops by that share. Cross 50%, and it disappears entirely.
• Finding the policy that actually pays takes real work. Dog bite claims are almost always paid through a home or renter’s insurance policy, not out of the owner’s own pocket. Tracking down the right policy — and any backup coverage — often determines what you can actually collect.

Getting ready for trial means locking down physical and digital evidence before it degrades, bringing in medical and mental-health experts to put scarring and trauma into terms a jury can weigh, documenting the dog’s history, and building the file from day one as though a Jefferson County jury is going to see it.

What damages can you recover after a Lakewood dog bite?

What you can collect depends on which track applies to your case. Economic damages — plain money losses — are open to you on either track. Non-economic damages — pain-and-suffering money — take an extra step: you must show the owner was careless or already knew the dog was risky.

Economic damages typically include:

• Medical bills, now and down the road, covering surgery, reconstruction, and physical therapy.
• Lost pay, plus any drop in your ability to earn while you heal.
• Other costs out of your own pocket, like counseling or medication.

Non-economic damages sit only on the negligence track. They cover pain and suffering, scars that don’t fade, and emotional distress.

What Colorado’s damage caps mean for your case

Colorado places no limit on economic damages like medical bills and lost pay. Non-economic damages are different — state law caps them once you reach the negligence track. As of January 1, 2025, that cap rose to $1.5 million under HB 24-1472 for newly filed cases. If the owner’s conduct was extreme or reckless, you may also be able to add punitive damages — extra money meant to punish the wrongdoer, not just compensate you — under C.R.S. § 13-21-102. Since the two-track system controls whether pain-and-suffering money is even on the table, good records and a clear legal strategy directly shape what your claim is worth.

How long do you have to file a dog bite claim in Colorado?

Colorado gives you two years from the day of the attack to get a dog bite claim filed (C.R.S. § 13-80-102). Once that date passes, you generally lose your right to sue for good. Most Lakewood claims go to Jefferson County District Court (1st Judicial District) in Golden.

Kids get a different clock. Colorado treats minors as persons under a legal disability for statute-of-limitations purposes. Under C.R.S. § 13-81-103, when a child’s disability ends at age 18, the child generally has until the later of the regular limitations deadline or two years after turning 18 to file a claim. For a typical two-year personal injury claim, that can mean a deadline as late as age 20, but the exact deadline depends on the type of claim and other circumstances. Because so many dog bite victims are children, this is one of the first things worth checking with a lawyer.

Pitfall alert: proof disappears faster than the deadline does

The evidence can disappear just as quickly. Reporting the bite to Lakewood Animal Control creates an official record of the attack, quarantine, and the dog’s history, which can be important in a negligence claim. Take photos of your injuries as soon as possible, keep your medical records, and document what happened before details fade or the dog’s ownership becomes harder to establish. Acting early helps protect both your filing deadline and the evidence supporting your claim. 

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Why do you need a dog bite lawyer in Lakewood?

Insurance companies aren’t built to pay out generously, and a dog bite claim comes with legal wrinkles most people never see coming. Handling a claim without experienced legal counsel often leads to lower settlements and unrecovered damages. The risk climbs fast once an injury is serious, a scar won’t fade, or the owner is fighting the claim outright. Here’s where an unrepresented claim usually runs into trouble:

• An insurer’s job is protecting its own bottom line, which in practice means disputing fault or downplaying how bad the scarring and emotional trauma really are.
• Getting paid for pain and suffering isn’t automatic — Colorado’s two-track system requires proving the owner was careless, and insurers know that’s exactly where claims tend to fall apart.
• Owners have real legal defenses on the books, like provocation or trespassing, and they use them.

Opponent playbook

Insurance companies and dog owners often rely on two defenses in Lakewood bite cases. One is provocation, arguing that the victim teased, cornered, or startled the dog; the other is challenging whether the injury qualifies as “serious bodily injury” under Colorado law. These arguments can affect which legal claims and damages are available, so we counter them by gathering the Lakewood Animal Control report, checking for prior incidents, documenting the full extent of the injuries, and securing witness statements while the details are still fresh.

What a Lakewood dog bite lawyer does for your case

A dog bite lawyer can handle the legal and insurance side of your claim while building evidence to support it:

• Investigate the bite using animal control reports, medical records, photos, and witness statements.
• Challenge defenses such as provocation or trespassing.
• Document your losses, including medical bills, lost wages, and lasting scarring.
• Pursue the right legal claim based on the severity of your injuries and available damages.
• Negotiate with insurers and take the case to court if they refuse a fair settlement.

What does the dog bite claim process look like?

A claim moves through the same four stages in nearly every case: a first conversation, a fact-finding phase, a negotiation push, and — if that stalls — a filing with the court.

1. A free consultation. We talk through the attack, your injuries, and which of Colorado’s two tracks fits your facts.
2. Building the file. We collect the Lakewood Animal Control report, your medical records, photos, the dog’s history, and any witness statements.
3. The demand. We send the owner’s insurer a documented demand backed by that evidence.
4. Getting it resolved. If the insurer won’t negotiate in good faith, we file suit in the First Judicial District (Jefferson County District Court, 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden) and start preparing for trial.

How long this takes hinges mostly on how serious the injuries are and how full the court’s docket is.

How do you choose the right Lakewood dog bite lawyer?

Four things separate a strong choice from a weak one: real experience with dog bite and injury claims, real familiarity with Jefferson County courts and insurers, clear communication, and a genuine readiness to go to trial rather than just say so.

• Does the firm have real results to point to?

Levine Law has represented hurt people across the Denver metro and Jefferson County for more than 20 years. Its record includes a $392,000 verdict (plus interest) for a client hurt by a hazard a property owner and its insurer refused to take seriously, and a $925,000 settlement for a client struck by a driver who ran a red light (see case results; past results do not guarantee future outcomes). A verifiable history beats a marketing slogan every time.

• Does the attorney actually know Jefferson County?

A lawyer who already knows how Jefferson County District Court in Golden (Colorado’s First Judicial District) runs, and how Front Range insurers tend to operate, starts several steps ahead. Founding partner Jordan S. Levine helped shape Colorado’s insurer-accountability law in Crowell v. ICAO — the same principle that often decides how a dog bite insurer behaves.

• Is the firm actually prepared to go to trial?

Insurers negotiate differently when they know a firm won’t blink at trial. Levine Law’s attorneys carry an AV Preeminent rating — Martindale-Hubbell’s highest peer rating for a lawyer’s legal ability and ethical standards — plus recognition from Super Lawyers and the National Trial Lawyers (each reflects that organization’s own selection standards).

• Are the fees straightforward?

Levine Law takes cases on contingency — “No Win, No Fee”. You owe no attorney’s fee unless money is recovered for you, and the first conversation costs nothing.

Client testimonials

Levine Law doesn’t have a published review from a dog bite client yet, but the feedback across the firm’s injury cases points to the same thing: clients who felt kept in the loop from start to finish.

“I appreciated the constant communication. I didn’t have to call for follow-up info.” — Jenn B., Yelp review.

You can read more verified reviews on our Levine Law Reviews page.

Disclaimer: Client reviews are individual experiences and are not a guarantee of any particular result.

Case results that reflect real experience

No dog-bite case has reached a published verdict or settlement for Levine Law yet, so the results below come from other injury claims — but each one rests on the exact principle a dog bite case does: a person or property owner let a known danger sit uncorrected, and someone paid for it.

• $392,000 verdict, plus interest — a landlord left a defective staircase in place inside a tenant’s apartment. She fell, broke her ankle, and ran up about $77,000 in medical bills; the insurer’s opening offer was $500.
• $925,000 settlement — a driver ran a red light and hit a pedestrian in the crosswalk, breaking both of her legs.

More outcomes are listed on our Cases & Verdicts page.

Disclaimer: Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome; every case is decided on its own facts.

Areas served

Levine Law represents dog bite victims throughout Lakewood and the wider Denver metro. In Lakewood, we help people attacked in residential neighborhoods near Green Mountain and Belmar, and at parks and trails like Bear Creek Lake Park.

We also serve neighboring communities:

• Denver (main dog bite practice)
• Aurora
• Arvada
• Glendale
• Boulder

We also handle related injury matters, including premises liability, traumatic brain injuries, and other Lakewood personal injury claims.

Local resources

Hospitals & Emergency Care near Lakewood

• St. Anthony Hospital — Level I Trauma Center; 11600 W 2nd Place, Lakewood, CO 80228
• Intermountain Health Lutheran Hospital — Level II Trauma Center; Wheat Ridge, CO
• Denver Health Medical Center — nearest downtown Level I trauma center; 777 Bannock St, Denver, CO 80204

Reporting & agencies

• Lakewood Animal Control — dog bite reports and quarantine (303-987-7173)
• Jefferson County Public Health — Animal Bites — rabies quarantine and reporting
• Lakewood Police Department — incident documentation

Courts

• Jefferson County District Court (First Judicial District) — 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden, CO 80401

Disclaimer: We provide these resources for convenience only; we do not endorse or profit from them.

Frequently asked questions

Is a dog owner automatically liable for a bite in Colorado?

Only in part. In most cases, C.R.S. § 13-21-124 makes an owner pay economic damages without question when a bite causes serious bodily injury or death — it doesn’t matter if they knew the dog was dangerous beforehand. Getting money for pain and scarring is different: that takes proof the owner was careless. A report on file with Lakewood Animal Control tends to strengthen either kind of claim.

How long do I have to file a dog bite claim in Colorado?

The general rule is two years from the date of the attack, as set by C.R.S. § 13-80-102. Child victims get a longer runway — Colorado’s tolling law pauses the clock until age 18, then adds two more years if that age is reached later. Since kids are so often the victims, get your exact deadline confirmed early, while records are still fresh.

What counts as “serious bodily injury” in a Colorado dog bite case?

C.R.S. § 18-1-901(3)(p) draws the line at a real risk of death, scarring that won’t fade, lasting loss or damage to a body part, or breaks, fractures, and second- or third-degree burns. Which side of that line an injury lands on decides whether strict liability applies — one reason records from a trauma center like St. Anthony matter so much.

What defenses can a dog owner raise in Lakewood?

Colorado gives owners a narrow, specific list: the victim was trespassing, the property had a posted “Beware of Dog” sign, the victim provoked the dog, the dog was a working police or military animal, or the victim was a vet, groomer, or handler hurt on the job (C.R.S. § 13-21-124). A claim that hasn’t planned around these ahead of time starts at a real disadvantage.

Whose insurance pays for a dog bite in Lakewood?

Usually the dog owner’s home or renter’s insurance policy pays for a bite. Finding the right policy early — along with the Lakewood Animal Control report and the dog’s history — is a key step in pursuing a claim under C.R.S. § 13-21-124.

Contact a Lakewood dog bite lawyer today

If you or your child was bitten by a dog in the Lakewood area, Levine Law is available 24/7 to review your claim and explain your options at no cost.

Contact us online for a free, no-obligation consultation.

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes; every case is evaluated on its own facts.

Attorney Review Disclosure

This content has been reviewed by the attorneys at Levine Law to help ensure its accuracy and compliance with applicable Colorado law. Legal services are provided by attorneys licensed to practice in the State of Colorado.

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Denver, CO 80246
24/7 Hotline: (303) 333-8000

Other Cases We Take On

Beyond dog bites, Levine Law helps injured Coloradans across many practice areas:

• Premises Liability
• Slip & Fall Accidents
• Car Accidents (Lakewood)
• Pedestrian Accidents (Lakewood)
• Bicycle Accidents (Lakewood)
• Wrongful Death
• Traumatic Brain Injuries
• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Catastrophic Injury
• Nursing Home Abuse