Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Dog bites can cause serious personal injuries to children and, in some instances, the tragic wrongful death of a child. These incidents can even take place at home with a family dog with no history of aggressiveness or dog bites. In Indianapolis, Indiana, a 9 year old girl suffered serious personal injuries as a result of being mauled / bitten by a Pit Bull breed dog. As the girl was letting the dog outside, the Pit Bull breed dog jumped on her and bit her around the neck while violently wrestling her to the floor. The child sustained serious personal injuries to her neck and trachea. After the vicious attack, the Pit Bull breed dog was quarantined at a local animal hospital.
Pit Bull breed dog attacks, similar to the one here, are not uncommon. These types of attacks raise several legal issues:
What safety precautions were put in place to protect the child?
Was this the first incident of violence by the Pit Bull dog?
Has animal control been called before regarding the same animal?
Parents have a duty to protect their children from harm. Although a dog is a household pet it is still an animal and can snap at any time. Safety precautions should always be taken and one should always be aware of an animal’s behavior. Of course, some dog attacks cannot be predicted and can happen in a matter of seconds. When possible, children should be protected from dog bite attacks and dangerous dogs should be turned over to animal control or otherwise secured in a location away from children.
You can read more about this story at 9-year-old Girl in Serious Condition After Being Mauled by a Pit Bull.