A 4-year-old boy sustained major injuries in a dog bite incident in San Bernardino as he was spending time in a relative's house. According to a news report in The Press Enterprise, the boy and his mother were from Michigan visiting family members in San Bernardino. Police say the child was playing in the backyard of a home in the 1500 block of West Windsor Street and had just picked up a toy. That was when the pit bull attacked, unprovoked and without warning. The boy sustained severe bites to the back of his head, buttocks, arms and hands. However, he is expected to survive. The boy's mother and grandmother were also injured as they tried to get the dog off the child. No one has been arrested or charged.
My heart goes out to this little boy who has apparently suffered serious personal injuries in this brutal dog attack. I truly hope this child will not be left with permanent scars and pray that he has a complete recovery.
Dog Bite Statistics
During the five-year period between January 1, 2005 and March 8, 2010, 158 fatal dog attacks took place in the United States, according to data released by Dogsbite.org. Pit bulls were responsible for 56 percent of these attacks. This amounts to a pit bull killing an American every 21.5 days. Rottweilers accounted for 15 percent of dog bite fatalities. Together, pit bulls and Rottweilers accounted for 70 percent of all dog attacks. The numbers also show that there were 32 dog bite-related deaths in 2009 – 14 caused by pit bulls and four by Rottweilers.
A Dangerous Breed?
Pit bull advocates often talk about "blame the owner, not the dog." Their argument is that the problem is not with the breed (pit bull), but with the way these dogs are trained by the owners. Just over the last month, we have written about at least half a dozen pit bull attacks in Southern California. A majority involved children, but these dogs don't spare adults either. In each one of these cases, including the most recent one in San Bernardino, the attacks were unprovoked. As a California personal injury lawyer who represents dog bite victims, I have seen tragic cases where children and adults are physically and emotionally traumatized by these attacks.
It is absurd to say that the media turn a blind eye when other breeds of dogs attack and injure people. How many times have you heard about a Golden Retriever or a Chihuahua mauling a child? Why is it that four times out of five, it's a pit bull that seriously injures or kills someone? Does it always happen because the owner was at fault or didn't care for the dog properly? These are important questions all of us must ask, objectively and dispassionately, in the interest of public safety.
What is your opinion of pit bulls as a breed? Do you believe they have a natural tendency to be more aggressive than other breeds of dogs?
The BISNAR|CHASE personal injury law firm is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free consultation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to not at fault persons named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.
SLS Consulting