California Injury Blog
Gordon Lykins, 48, of Winterhaven, California, has died recently from injuries he suffered in a March 28, 2009 vicious dog bite attack in the community, which is located in the California-Arizona border. Lykins was apparently mauled by a pack of dogs that were running lose in the Bard area, near White Road, the Yuma Sun reports. A surgeon at Yuma Regional Medical Center reportedly said it was the worst case of trauma he had ever seen.
Police are still investigating and are yet to file charges against the dogs’ owner who apparently owned 11 of these mixed breeds dogs. All the dogs were removed from his home and taken to an animal shelter. Those dogs are believed to have been loose at the time of the attack, but police are trying to piece together evidence. The main challenge, officials say, is to prove that the dogs taken from that owner’s property were the ones that attacked Lykins. Police are also looking for any eyewitnesses who can identify the dogs. The unidentified dog owner, who lives near the area where Lykins was attacked, called in the dog attack.
My heart goes out to the family of Gordon Lykins and Lykins himself for the extreme trauma, pain and suffering he must have endured the last couple of weeks. I offer my deepest sympathies to them.
If the attacking dogs belonged to the man who called in the fatal dog attack, I believe that he should be held criminally and civilly liable for this horrific attack. It is extremely irresponsible for a dog owner to allow one loose dog to roam the neighborhood let alone an entire pack of them. It is an established fact that dogs tend to attack when they are in packs and such attacks are more likely to be fatal. In this California dog bite incident, that’s exactly what happened.
Gordon Lykins’ family would be well-advised to contact experienced California dog attack lawyers who will help protect their rights and help secure fair compensation for their loss. The owner of the dogs should be made to compensate the family for medical/funeral expenses, loss of wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress and all other expenses related to Lykins’ tragic death. Lykins’ family should be able to file a wrongful death claim because of the negligence and wrongdoing involved here. Dog owners who cannot take responsibility for their pets should not be allowed to own them. And if the dogs hurt or kill someone, it is the owner who must be held accountable.