Articles Posted in Dog Bites

According to the American Insurance Institute, nearly half of all dog bites occur while the dog is off the owner’s property. While in some cases, a dog may attack another person or animal while in its owner’s presence (i.e. unleashed dogs; improperly secured collar/harness; pulling/breaking away from owner’s control), many bites and attacks are caused when a dog escapes from their owner’s property. Often time, the dog’s owner is completely unaware that their dog has escaped. The Dog Bite Injury Attorneys of Zneimer & Zneimer P.C. take note of a promising new technology, which might aide in the reduction of dog-related incidents.

Micro-chipping pets has long been used as a means of recovering lost animals, however, the benefits of such microchips were dependent on whether (1) the animal was actually brought in to be scanned; (2) the scan was successful in identifying the owner (3) and the owner’s contact information was current. Traditional microchips can neither track a dog’s location, nor notify a dog owner that their dog has escaped their property, and therefore serve a highly limited purpose-the possibility that the dog and its owner may be reunited. Though, a new product, ‘Escape Alert,’ offers to change dog-to-owner reunification. As discussed by the Chicago Tribune in ‘Pet escape: How to deal with it-and prevent it,’ with the use of this device,

“a pet owner can set up a virtual boundary – his or her yard, for example. When their dog or cat crosses the boundary, they get immediate text and email alerts. Neighbors, friends, veterinarians and local animal shelters can also get notifications. Next comes the cool part: The implanted GPS chip then tells the pet owner the animal’s exact location via cell phone, iPad, text message or computer.”

The Chicago Dog Bite Attorneys of Zneimer & Zneimer P.C. represent clients in a wide range of dog-related incidents, including those in which a person sustained injury while trying to prevent or intercept an animal-on-animal attack. Any animal lover would agree that ensuring the safety of their beloved pets, which are often considered to be members of the family, is an important concern. However, it is also necessary to consider your own safety, particularly when a dog owned by another bites, attacks, or attempts to attack your own dog or cat. Prompted by a recent dog attack in a Chicagoland suburb, we feel compelled to remind dog owners of the risk for injury or fatality caused as a result of intercepting a potential or presently occurring attack on your animal.

In September, a McHenry man and his wife, Steven and Annette Cuda, were both injured while attempting to save their 6-month-old golden retriever puppy, Addie, from being mauled by two pit bulls. According to reports, the two dogs either escaped or were allowed to roam from the owner’s premises, and subsequently charged at the retriever as Mr. Cuda was taking Addie on an evening walk. Mrs. Cuda, who was driving home at the time of the attack, heard her husband yelling around the corner, and joined her husband in an attempt to stop the attack.

In the aftermath of the incident, three victims required emergency medical treatment. Both of Addie’s owners sustained injuries to their hands, and Mr. Cuda reports that he separated his shoulder, when he tripped over one of the pit bulls during the attack. In addition, Addie sustained multiple dog bite related puncture wounds, and has already undergone two surgeries. Mr. Cuda described the attack as the most terrifying thing he has ever gone through, further stating that “the more my dog screamed or cried, the more vicious the pit bulls became.”

Two victims are recovering from their injuries after they were bitten by a pit bull in Chicago’s South Shore community. The incident occurred on March 1, 2014 in the 6900 block of South Shore Drive.

According to Chicago Police Department, several individuals had called police over concerns that a pit bull was loose in the neighborhood. Sometime following the pit-bull’s escape, the dog bit two individuals, including a 17-year-old boy and a man of an unknown age.

When police arrived, in response to the numerous calls received regarding the loose pit-bull, officers were forced to shoot the dog, due to claims that it was “charging” towards them.

The Chicago Dog Bite Attorneys of Zneimer & Zneimer, P.C. take note of the alarming increase in recent years of payout amounts for claims brought forth under homeowners and renter’s insurance policies for dog bites and dog attacks. According to the National Insurance Institute, the amount paid by insurers for dog bite injury claims have increased from $324.2 Million in 2003, to $489.7 Million in 2012. This represents a nationwide increase of over 50% in the past decade.

When reporting data is delineated by location and insurance provider, the increase in dog bite claims in Illinois is profound when compared with other states. For example, a recent report by State Farm showed that Illinois ranked second in claims paid by that insurer in both 2011 and 2012. Although California ranked first, when adjustments for population are made, Illinois dog bite claim payout totals were still nearly 40% higher. Last year alone, Illinois dog bite claims accounted for 10% of all claims paid by State Farm for dog attack incidents.

In addition, Illinois also ranked amongst the highest in dog bite attacks on postal workers in 2012. According to a 2013 Postal Service study, which compiled a list of the top 10 U.S. cities for dog bite attacks on postal workers, Chicago Illinois was ranked as third, with a total of 41 dog bite incidents occurring in 2012. When compared to the total amount of 2012 dog attacks on postal workers, 5,900, and the fact that there are over 100,000 U.S. cities, this figure is significant considering that many cities with higher or comparable populations did not make the list. Further, Chicago’s 2012 ranking drastically increased from its ranking of 13th in 2011.

Nearly two years following the vicious dog attack on a 15-year-old boy in Zion Illinois, parties to the dispute reached a settlement agreement granting the victim $1.125 Million for his injuries. According to the Jury Verdict Reporter, this amount represents the largest award for a dog bite attack in Illinois history. As attorneys, who represent dog bite victims in Illinois, this settlement is significant in terms of victim rights, because it sends the message that careless dog owners can and will be held accountable for their inability to control a dangerous animal.

The tragic attack occurred on June 29, 2011, while 15 year old Jordyn Bankston was out riding his bicycle in the Lake County community of Zion. As Jordyn stopped to talk with his friends, a 120 lb Bull Mastiff escaped his owner’s fenced in yard, and charged towards the boys. Although the boys tried to escape, the massive dog was able to reach Jordyn, clenching the child’s arm with his forceful teeth and dragging him to the ground. Despite two neighbors attempting to intervene by kicking the dog, the savage dog attack continued, reports say, for nearly 10 minutes. The boy was eventually freed when a third neighbor burned the dog’s nose with a lit cigarette.

Jordyn was rushed to a nearby hospital in Waukegan, where he remained for nearly a week. As a result of the vicious attack, Jordyn suffered lacerations and puncture wounds to his arms, shoulder, legs, thigh, buttocks and head. Due to the extent of his injuries, the boy also required plastic reconstructive surgery. According to the dog bite attorneys representing the child and his family, “It was a very, very traumatic event. He thought he was going to die.”

Chicago dog bite injury lawyers at Zneimer & Zneimer p.c. have learned that a South Shore Chicago jogger, Joseph Finley, was attacked by a pit bull one year ago and ended up losing his leg. Mr. Finley stated that he considers himself lucky to even be alive after the attack and has urged there be laws restricting the ownership of pit bulls.

Statistics support the contention that pit bulls are a more dangerous bred of dog than other breeds. In 2004 there were 22 dog bite related deaths in the United States. In 2005 there were 29 deaths caused by dog bites. In 2006 there were 26 dog bite related deaths. In 2007 there were 33 dog bite related deaths in the United States. Pit bull type dogs were responsible for 67% of fatalities. Rottweilers were second and accounted for 12% of fatalities.

The Center for Disease Control reports that there are 4.7 million dog bites annually in the United States. Approximately,800,000 require medical attention. Approximately 334,000 have to go to the emergency room. Sadly, about 50% of these bites involve children.

The Chicago dog bite lawyers of Zneimer & Zneimer read in the Chicago Sun-Times that an unleashed pit bull in Evanston, Illinois attacked and bit a 70 year old woman. The police were forced to shoot the dog dead. The owner of the dog allowed the pit bull to run off its leash in the vicinity of Dempster and Dodge.

The women who suffered the dog bite was walking her Labrador retriever dog when it was attacked by the pit bull. The women attempted to save her dog when she was bitten multiple times on the legs. The Labrador retriever also suffered bites.

In a three year study done by the national dog bite victim’s group, DogBite.org, it was found from 2006 to 2008, pit bull type dogs accounted for 52 deaths in the United States which was 59% of all deaths caused by dogs. Rottweilers came in second with 14%.

Chicago dog bite lawyers, Zneimer & Zneimer, P.C. are not surprised by a study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, found that the number of people admitted to hospitals for treatment for a dog bite increased 86 percent from 1993 to 2008. In 2008, there were a total of 82,518 dog bite-related visits to the emergency room for an average of 866 emergency room visits a day. An Average of 26 people per day were admitted to the hospital for treatment for their serious dog bite injuries.

According to the study, seniors and young children were the most likely groups to be admitted to the hospital, each with about 4 hospital stays per 100,000 people. Children are more likely to suffer head and facial injuries from dog bites since children’s heads are closer to the ground.

Alarmingly, the AHRQ study found that 43 percent of people hospitalized for dog bites required treatment for skin and underlying tissue infection. Anyone bit by a dog should seek immediate medical treatment, even if the bite seems minor given this very high rate of infection.