California Injury Blog
A Placentia woman was injured in a dog attack after one of her two pit bulls bit her.
According to a news report in the Orange County Register, police officers responded to a home in the 700 block of East Yorba Linda Boulevard the afternoon of March 9, 2015 and found the woman with bite marks on her face, head, arms and hands.
The attack occurred when the woman, believed to be in her mid-40s, was
bringing her male and female pit bulls inside from the backyard.
The woman’s adult daughter, who was inside the home, ran outside and yelled for help. A couple of tree trimmers working in the area rushed to help. One of them grabbed a mop to get the dog off the woman, but the dog got even more aggressive. He eventually managed to lock the dog in a room.
Placentia police used a Taser on the male dog because it was still aggressive when they arrived. The female dog was also taken away and both animals are scheduled to be put down. The woman suffered severe, but non-life-threatening injuries and bite wounds.
Pit Bulls and Dog Bite Incidents
Pit bull and animal advocates often claim that this breed gets “a bad rap” from the media. They say pit bulls are gentle animals that act out only when they are not trained properly or when owners abuse them. But the fact remains that a majority of severe injury or fatal dog attacks in the United States are caused by pit bulls, and a majority of these attacks are unprovoked.
According to the victims advocacy group DogsBite.org, 32 people were killed in dog attacks in the United States in 2013. Pit bulls contributed to 78 percent of these deaths in spite of making up only about 6 percent of the total U.S. dog population.
Liability of Owners
In this particular case, the woman was attacked by her own pit bull. But these aggressive dogs could have just as easily harmed a neighbor, a child playing outside or someone walking down the street. Dog owners have a responsibility to make sure that their pets are kept properly restrained. Under California’s strict liability statute, dog owners can be held financially responsible for the injuries, damages and losses their pets cause.
Injured victims can seek compensation for damages including medical expenses, lost wages, hospitalization, cost of surgery, psychological counseling, scarring and disfigurement and pain and suffering. An experienced Orange County dog bite attorney will be able to advise victims in such cases regarding their legal rights and options.