More than 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year across the U.S., according to the National Canine Research Council. Texas and Houston are ranked as some of the worst areas for dog bites and fatal dog attacks in the nation, with Houston earning the 2018 title of the Dog Bite Capital of America from the U.S. Postal Service.
Approximately 36 fatal dog attacks were reported nationwide in 2018, according to the nonprofit public education website DogBites.org. Between 2005 and 2017, the nonprofit recorded 433 deaths caused by dogs in the U.S., and 62 of those deaths occurred in Texas. During that same time period, family dogs inflicted 54 percent of all fatal attacks.
Using this data from DogBites.org, Chron.com compiled fatal dog attacks that took place in the Greater Houston area from the early 2000s to 2019. Some of these cases involved stray dogs, but many were caused by family-owned dogs or a neighbor’s dog.
As indicated by the charitable, Pitbulls were responsible for 72 percent of the lethal canine assaults recorded in the U.S. in 2018. While this breed is regularly blamed for forceful conduct that can prompt lethal assaults, authorities from the American Veterinary Medical Association have announced that a canine’s breed doesn’t necessarily account for its forceful nature, but instead its individual history and conduct does.
Three Pitbull’s Violently Assaulted a Women
One of the latest Houston zone lethal canine assaults occurred a month ago off Arlington Street in Northside. A lady later recognized as Medessa Ragsdale, 44, was found in a ditch after three Pitbulls violently assaulted her. The proprietor of the dogs was one of two individuals to report the assault to the police. As a result of city mandates that expect proprietors to keep their canines contained, the proprietor could confront a potential charge of careless murder.
Steps To Take After an Attack From a Pitbull
The means you should take after a canine assault are:
- Look for medical attention right away,
- Follow your PCP’s injury cleaning orders,
- Report the occurrence to your nearby animal control,
- Contact witnesses,
- Document the bite wound,
- Hire a personal injury attorney
1. Look for Medical Attention Immediately
Pitbull bite wounds can be intense. Be that as it may, even apparently little injuries can bring about genuine diseases or potentially perpetual scarring. Enormous or little, you should get treated by a medical professional immediately to guarantee that the injury is appropriately cleaned and, if vital, closed up.
Pitbull bite wounds can not only allow disease from the microbes in the bite, yet they can likewise permit hazardous staphylococcus microscopic organisms (MRSA) to enter the injury and cause a “staph” contamination. These can be risky, even dangerous if not appropriately treated.
Moreover, canines can convey and spread rabies. Furthermore, serious scarring and even keloid scarring can happen around a canine bite wound. Keloidal scars happen because of an excess of granulation tissue (collagen type 3) at the site of a recuperated skin injury which is then gradually supplanted by collagen type 1. Early treatment and care can help forestall as well as lessen the impacts of scarring. Make certain to inform the specialist concerning your assault so he/she can treat it appropriately.
2. Follow Your Doctors Wound-Cleaning Orders
Since diseases are basic with canine bite wounds, you ought to be extremely mindful so as to consistently change the gauzing around the injury and to perform legitimate injury care routinely.
Moreover, you have to accept the anti-infection agents as recommended by your health care provider to forestall disease. Make certain to catch up as requested for cleaning, wound consideration, and observing of the recuperating cycle.
3. Report the Incident to Your Local Animal Control
Numerous urban areas and districts necessitate that any individual knowing about an assault by a Pitbull must report it to the best possible specialists. As a rule, the neighborhood city or area animal control is the right division to report the occurrence to. This is imperative to do. You have to find your animal control office telephone number and report it.
Animal control will at that point lead an examination to be certain the canine is up to date on its rabies immunizations, appropriately made sure about and distinguished. They will make a report which identifies the proprietor of the canine. This report will eventually assist you with distinguishing the correct party in question to document the canine assault.
In the event that they don’t provide a copy of the report, you can present a solicitation legitimately utilizing the accompanying example open records demand that is intended to report the attack.
On the off chance that animal control neglects to act, you may wish to press to have the Pitbull pronounced risky all alone. If you are outside Houston, your neighborhood animal control ought to have comparable strategies.
4. Contact Witnesses
In the event that there were any onlookers (other than the canine proprietor), record their names, locations, and telephone numbers and put this someplace safe.
On the off chance that anybody reveals to you this canine has bitten previously, those individuals are critical observers and you should demonstrate that the proprietor had earlier information on the canine’s hazardous nature. Get their information too.
5. Document the Bite Wound
Words generally can’t do a picture justice. Nothing demonstrates the degree of what you persevered through like photos archiving the wounds from the earliest starting point through the whole recuperating measure. Take photographs early and regularly with a phone or whatever you may have accessible.
6. Hire a Personal Injury Attorney Who Handles Dog Bite Cases.
Not all legal advisors handle canine assaults. The law can be exceptionally dubious as your canine assault lawyer must swim through City, County, and State Codes and Laws to decide precisely what canine bite laws apply in Texas.
Before you address the canine proprietor or their protection agents, you should look for legitimate counsel from a lawyer who comprehends the “One Free Bite Rule” and the issues encompassing it. Your attorney may need to take statements and examine previous bite reports to set up your case.
Joe I. Zaid & Associates handles pitbull attack cases over the State of Texas. Our underlying meeting is in every case free and we handle cases on a possibility charge premise. You don’t pay us a dime except if we make a recover compensation for you. If you or a friend or family member has been assaulted by a canine or Pitbull, call us today at (346) 756-9243.
