Dog Pack Attacks

When most people think of dog bites, they think of individual incidents involving, perhaps, one dog, walking on a leash, who bites someone, or perhaps the neighbor’s dog jumping the fence and injuring someone.

However, more often than not, dog bite injuries and deaths frequently occur due to dogs traveling in packs, and those who might be especially vulnerable – such as children or the elderly – are more at risk. According to the statistics, between 2005 and 2019, more than 500 Americans were killed as the result of a fatal dog mauling; with almost 30 percent of these victims being children aged nine or younger; more than 60 percent of fatal attacks involving multiple dogs; 70 percent involving two or three animals; and 30 percent involving four or more dogs.

Georgia Law

Georgia law recognized a duty to exercise ordinary care in the management and restraint of a dangerous animal for the protection of the public, as well as the need for pet owners to take reasonable measures to keep an animal restrained. Dog owners have a responsibility to ensure that they do not expose the public to a safety threat in the form of a potentially dangerous dog. Owners who allow the animals to go at liberty are liable to anyone who sustains an injury as the result of the animal in the event that the owner knows of the animal’s vicious behavior.

Litigation

Sadly, predatory dog bite attacks still occur here in Georgia on a frequent basis. In these cases, a civil suit can not only be brought against the dog owner(s) and/or property owner(s) where the dogs live, but also local government employees whose job it is to ensure that the public is safe from stray dogs, such as animal control officers, the sheriff’s office, its deputies, and more, especially if they failed to take action on a potentially dangerous animal, with warning provided. If someone fails to do their job, and it leaves someone severely injured, or costs them their life, there are consequences.

A number of these incidents involve wanton, negligent behavior. If the dogs have previously exhibited aggressive behavior, the dog owner is responsible under a strict liability cause of action (in addition to negligence and negligence per se). Wrongful death claims can also be filed for those who have tragically lost family members in these incidents. In some cases, these incidents can go beyond civil lawsuits and dog owners can even be indicted on criminal charges.

Contact Us Today for Help

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed due to a dog bite/attack incident, contact our Macon personal injury attorneys today at the Law Offices of Buzzell, Welsh & Hill to find out how we can help.

Source:

newsweek.com/pack-dogs-maul-7-year-old-death-idaho-1775963