Illinois Woman Awarded $1.5M in Dog Bite Lawsuit

An Illinois dog owner agreed to settle a dog bite lawsuit for $1.5 million after the dog escaped his yard and attacked a woman who was walking her own dog. According to the lawsuit, the victim was walking her female Labrador Retriever at 6:30 a.m. when three unleashed dogs escaped their yard through an open fence door and approached the woman. One of the dogs, an 85-pound Rottweiler named Ghost, attempted to mount the woman’s Labrador Retriever. The woman attempted to pull the Rottweiler off her dog. She picked up her dog and began to walk away. In response, the Rottweiler bit down on her right forearm and locked his jaws around her arm. The force of the bite broke her radius and ulna, the two bones in your lower arm. The dog then dragged her half a block down the street.

Neighbors were alerted to the sounds of her screams but did not intervene for fear of being injured themselves. Eventually, the dog’s owner showed up and was able to pry the Rottweiler’s jaw open. The entire attack lasted for about 10 minutes. The dog’s owner then took the dog home.

Victim required four surgeries 

Once brought to the hospital, the victim required stabilization of her right arm through the use of surgical braces and significant irrigation and debridement of the wound to prevent infection. A few days later, her doctors continued the debridement of the wound and sealed it with a wound vac. The third surgery involved the grafting of skin from the victim’s thigh to her forearm to improve the appearance of the injury. During the fourth surgery, her surgeons repaired lacerated tendons.

The victim was right-handed and as a result of her injuries, had to begin to learn to do almost everything with her left hand. Even after two years of healing, she still has limitations with her right ring finger, according to the lawsuit.

Dog bite laws in Illinois 

Under Illinois law (510 ILCS 5/16) dog owners are strictly liable for any injuries their dogs cause in the event of an attack. That means that the plaintiff does not need to prove that the dog owner was negligent. They only need to establish that they were injured by the dog and did nothing to provoke the attack. In some states, dog owners are only liable if they know that the dog is aggressive or vicious. Some of these states operate under a “one-bite rule.” That means that for the owner to be liable, the dog must have attacked or bitten at least one person prior for the owner to be liable. In Illinois, dog owners are liable regardless of whether or not their dogs have bitten anyone before.

Talk to a Decatur, IL Dog Bite Attorney Today 

The Decatur personal injury attorneys at Patel Law, PC represent the interests of those injured due to the negligence of other parties. If you have sustained injury or been bitten by a dangerous dog, call our office today to schedule a free consultation and learn more about how we can help.

Source:

evanstonroundtable.com/2023/08/14/record-settlement-in-2021-dog-bite-case/