California Injury Blog
An 8-year-old boy, who suffered severe dog bite injuries in Fontana, reportedly told police that someone intentionally set the dog on him. The boy and his brother who were walking down a neighborhood street told officers that a teen inside a house opened a door and let a 65-pound pit bull out the door and the dog in turn pounced on the boy and ripped his face apart, according to an article in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
The boy suffered severe bite injuries on his face and was treated in the hospital and released. The newspaper reported that he had to get a number of stitches on his face. The dog ran back into its owner’s home after the attack and the owner reportedly tried to hide the animal in the backyard. However, animal control officials were able to locate the dog and tried to corner it, but the pit-bull was reportedly still very aggressive and charged at them even after they fired a bean bag round and used a taser gun against it. Finally, they had to shoot and kill the dog.
The dog owner could certainly be held liable in this case and should face criminal charges if the attack was intentional as the victim says. It is really sad that a little child had to undergo the trauma of a dog bite attack. He will probably also need plastic surgery on his scars. We’ve observed that even with plastic surgery some scars never go away.
The boy’s family should certainly consider hiring a personal injury attorney to represent them in this case to fight for their legal rights. Pit-bulls are a strong breed and we see that time and time again in news stories. For example there was another incident in Bakersfield where a postal worker rescued a 74-year-old man by pepper-spraying the dog during a brutal pit-bull attack.
Melissa Kelly was delivering mail nearby when she heard screams coming from Joseph Goulart. He and his dog were being attacked by two pit-bulls that escaped from a neighbor’s yard. According to Eyewitness News, Kelly was a real hero as she put herself between the man and the dogs as she pepper-sprayed the animals and basically, saved Goulart’s life. The owner told the news team that it was just another random dog attack. Both dogs have been impounded.
Negligent dog owners must be held responsible for their actions. Several law enforcement agencies have started to file criminal charges in dog bite cases such as the city of Westminster, which did so when a mail carrier was attacked by a pit-bull. The owner, Sheri Moody, who has a history of keeping aggressive dogs, was charged with one felony count of allowing a vicious animal at large to cause serious bodily harm. This charge carries a prison term of up to three years, if she is convicted. The 65-pound pit-bull left 6-foot-3-inch, 260-pound postal worker, David Carroll, with severe facial injuries as she attempted to deliver Moody’s mail.
Our firm is representing Carroll, who is recovering from his injuries, but is still struggling physically and emotionally in coping with this horrific dog attack. We will fight hard to make sure he gets the justice and compensation he rightfully deserves.