Dog Bite Lawsuit Settles for $1.5 Million

A recent Illinois dog bite lawsuit settled for $1.5 million after the defendant agreed to pay the plaintiff for her injuries. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff was walking her female Labrador retriever at about 6:30 a.m. when three unleashed dogs approached her. According to the plaintiff, the dogs had escaped from a nearby yard through an open fence door. One of the three dogs, an 85-pound Rottweiler, became aggressive and tried to mount the woman’s Labrador. The woman picked up her dog and began to walk away. The Rottweiler then grabbed her right forearm and bit down hard, locking her arm in his jaws. The force of the bite immediately broke her radius and ulna. The dog then proceeded to drag her a half block up the street.

The plaintiff’s screams alerted neighbors. Nearby people attempted to help, but no one was sure what to do without putting themselves in danger. After about 10 minutes of being attacked, the dog’s owner showed up and was able to pry the Rottweiler’s jaws open. The owner ultimately took the dog home.

According to a police report, an off-duty firefighter had already called paramedics and wrapped the plaintiff’s arm to try to stem the bleeding. The victim said that the dog’s owner returned to the scene and identified himself as a surgeon. Ultimately, the victim was taken to the hospital.

Damages and injuries

 According to the plaintiff’s attorney, the victim required stabilization of the right arm through the use of hardware implementation and significant irrigation and debridement to avoid infection. A few days later, her doctors repeated the debridement and sealed the wound with a wound vac. She then required a third surgery about three weeks after the incident. Her doctors grafted skin from the woman’s thigh to her forearm in an attempt to improve the appearance of the injury. A fourth surgery was conducted to repair her lacerated tendons.

The plaintiff, in this case, was right-handed but the resulting damage to her arm forced her to relearn how to do everything with her left arm. Two years after the incident, she still has some limitations on what she can do with her right hand.

As a result of the dog bite attack, the woman’s arm is permanently disfigured. Neither her arm nor thigh will ever look the same. While she has regained much of the strength of her right arm, she still has limitations on movement related to her ring finger. She reports that people stare at her and ask her questions about the injury. She says she is extremely self-conscious of the deformity.

The defendant received a citation from the City of Evanston for disobeying leash laws. He paid a $150 fine to settle the matter and $1.5 million to the plaintiff to settle her lawsuit.

Talk to a Dog Bite Attorney Today 

The Urbana personal injury attorneys at Patel Law, PC represent the interests of those who have been mauled in dog bite attacks. You can file suit against the dog’s owner and recover damages related to your medical expenses, lost wages, and reduced quality of life. Call today to learn more.

Source:

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