St. Louis Injury Lawyer Blog

A woman victimized in an unprovoked dog attack received a $15,000 settlement thanks to the help of Alton, Illinois attorney Michael P. Glisson.

The lawyer from Williamson, Webster, Falb & Glisson represented a woman whose finger was bitten down to the bone by a dog. The attack required hospitalization for the woman. During emergency treatment, it was discovered that the dog had injured the woman's right thumb, index finger and third finger. Even after receiving expensive medical treatment, the plaintiff still had a difficult time bending her thumb and had two permanent scars.

The circumstances of the brutal attack were such that the plaintiff's husband was present. He attempted to dispatch the animal by hitting it on the head, injuring his shoulder in the process. It took several strikes for the dog to let go. As a result, husband also received some medical treatment in the form of shots for inflammation.

The State of Illinois has recognized the danger posed by vicious dogs in the last few years. In 2006, the governor signed a piece of legislation into law that toughens sentences for owners of violent dogs.

According to an Illinois.gov press release, "House Bill 4238 ... increases the criminal penalty to a Class 3 felony punishable by up to five years in prison if the owner of a vicious dog fails to keep their dog in an enclosure or fails to spay or neuter the animal and it gets loose and kills or seriously injures someone. If the owner knowingly allowed the dog to run loose or failed to take steps to keep the animal in an enclosure, the offense is a Class 2 felony, carrying a potential prison term of three to seven years."

Continue reading "Unprovoked Dog Attack Causes Serious Injuries, Cash Settlement" »

A man from Dorsey, Illinois attacked on his property by two dogs has filed a dog bite lawsuit against their owner.

A pit bull and a doberman mix encroached on the man's property and began attacking his dog as he was mowing the lawn. When he stopped mowing to separate the dogs, the defendants' dogs attacked. According to the lawsuit, the attack with vicious and without provocation.

The man sustained permanent injuries as a result of the incident, including injuries to his left hand, lower back, legs and toes.

The lawsuit, filed by Michael Glisson from the law office of Williamson, Webster, Falb & Glisson in Alton, Illinois, contains one count of negligence and one count of violating the Animal Control Act. The suit argues that the owner of the pit bull and doberman were negligent in their care of the animals, failing to train them, leash them and prevent them from entering another person's property with full knowledge that the dogs were dangerous.

Glisson's suit, filed in Madison County Circuit Court, also claims the owners should have euthanized the dogs due to their propensity for violence.

According to a stats and tips sheet released by the County of Los Angeles Public Health Department, homeowners' liability insurance covers more than $1 billion a year in dog attack claims. Safety tips offered by the department include being still when approached by an unfamiliar dog, avoiding eye contact, and refraining from petting a dog that is sleeping or eating.

Continue reading "Dorsey, Illinois Pit Bull Owner Sued" »

A woman from the town of East Carondelet, Illinois in St. Clair County has filed a dog bite lawsuit in the circuit court against a pet owner who failed to prevent an attack.

According to a story in the St. Clair County Record, the woman claims to have been attacked without provocation. A mixed breed dog bit the plaintiff, causing leg, arm, and wrist injuries leading to infection. As a result, the woman sustained permanent nerve damage, as well as damage to her blood vessels and skin.

The suit alleges that the dog's owner is at fault for failing to properly control her animal, which the plaintiff claimed was "vicious" and had a history of attacking people. The plaintiff aims to recover damages from lost wages and medical bills.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted in a promotion for National Dog Bite Prevention Week that 4.5 million Americans are victims of dog bites every year. Nearly one in five of those people end up needing medical attention due to the severity of the bite. Children are at the highest risk for receiving medical attention for dog bites, and adult men are more likely to be bitten than women.

Continue reading "St. Clair County Illinois Woman Sues for Dog Bite" »

On July 29th, 2009 it was reported that Krista K. Hall, a 56 year old woman, was trying to return her neighbor's dogs back to his yard and was severely mauled. She lost an arm as a result of this attack. The two witnesses, Hall's granddaughters, saw the dogs attack and quickly called 911. Hall's daughter stated that if the two girls had not called 911 so quickly, she believes that her mother would have died from blood loss because one of the arteries in Krista's arm was severed.

Hall's doctor Aleeca Ford said, "There were over 50 bites or puncture wounds that had to be repaired with a couple hundred stitches." This was not the first time that these two dogs, a Boston terrier and a boxer, had attacked someone. Less than a year earlier the dogs attacked 11 year old Anna Marie Rose De Stefano while she was playing in her yard. De Stefano's father explained that if people had been doing their jobs right that the dogs would have been put to sleep after the first attack on his daughter, and Hall would not have had to go through what she did. Krista Hall is now in stable condition and will hopefully recover swiftly from her injuries.

Below are statistics put out by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

1) Each year, 800,000 Americans seek medical attention for dog bites
2) 386,000 people require treatment in an emergency department because of dog bites
3) About 16 people die each year because of dog attacks.

The Illinois Animal Control Act provides that, "If a dog or other animal, without provocation, attacks, attempts to attack, or injures any person who is peaceably conducting himself or herself in any place where he or she may lawfully be, the owner of such dog or other animal is liable in civil damages to such person for the full amount of the injury proximately caused thereby."

A dog bite victim can get money for all of the following things:

• Medical treatment
• Future medical treatment for scar reduction
• Psychological counseling
• Loss of earnings from work or the victim's business
• Torn clothing and broken glasses
• Pain and suffering
• Future disability

Dog owners should always use a leash when walking a dog. Even is the dog had not displayed a propensity to bite, dogs and animals in general go through changes, such as hormonal changes, which cause them to bite or attack.

Continue reading "Brutal Dog Mauling Leaves Woman Disabled" »

A Wood River, Illinois woman has resolved her claim against the owner of a dog. The woman, a minor, was attacked by a dog and sustained permanent injuries to her legs and hand. She brought a claim pursuant to the Illinois Animal Control Act, which provides a remedy against an owner or harborer of the animal.

Unless provocation is involved, Illinois law holds animal owners strictly liable (ie. liable regardless of the owner's actions). Owners of animals should understand the risks of harboring an animal. Even animals without a history of violence can change due to hormones, age or other factors. It is advisable to keep your animal on a leash at all times to minimize the risks associated with pet ownership.

If you are injured or attacked by a dog or other animal, contact the local animal control or police immediately. It is best to fill out an incident report to document the incident. Also, it is important to attempt to obtain any ownership information from the animal's tags.

Continue reading "Wood River Illinois Minor Resolves Dog Bite Incident" »