On July 29th, 2009 it was reported that Krista K. Hall, a 56 year old woman, was trying to return her neighbor’s dogs back to his yard and was severely mauled. She lost an arm as a result of this attack. The two witnesses, Hall’s granddaughters, saw the dogs attack and quickly called 911. Hall’s daughter stated that if the two girls had not called 911 so quickly, she believes that her mother would have died from blood loss because one of the arteries in Krista’s arm was severed.
Hall’s doctor Aleeca Ford said, “There were over 50 bites or puncture wounds that had to be repaired with a couple hundred stitches.” This was not the first time that these two dogs, a Boston terrier and a boxer, had attacked someone. Less than a year earlier the dogs attacked 11 year old Anna Marie Rose De Stefano while she was playing in her yard. De Stefano’s father explained that if people had been doing their jobs right that the dogs would have been put to sleep after the first attack on his daughter, and Hall would not have had to go through what she did. Krista Hall is now in stable condition and will hopefully recover swiftly from her injuries.
Below are statistics put out by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Each year, 800,000 Americans seek medical attention for dog bites
- 386,000 people require treatment in an emergency department because of dog bites
- About 16 people die each year because of dog attacks.
The Illinois Animal Control Act provides that, “If a dog or other animal, without provocation, attacks, attempts to attack, or injures any person who is peaceably conducting himself or herself in any place where he or she may lawfully be, the owner of such dog or other animal is liable in civil damages to such person for the full amount of the injury proximately caused thereby.”
A dog bite victim can get money for all of the following things:
- Medical treatment
- Future medical treatment for scar reduction
- Psychological counseling
- Loss of earnings from work or the victim’s business
- Torn clothing and broken glasses
- Pain and suffering
- Future disability
Dog owners should always use a leash when walking a dog. Even is the dog had not displayed a propensity to bite, dogs and animals in general go through changes, such as hormonal changes, which cause them to bite or attack.
If you or someone you know has been injured by a dog, please contact the St. Louis Metro East law firm of WWF&G at 618-462-1077 for your free consultation. We recently resolved a minor’s case for $200,000.00 from a similar attack. You may be entitled to compensation. WWF&G is experienced in various injury cases due to animal attacks.
