A Texas man filed a civil suit against a couple after their dog bit his daughter. The dog, a Chow Chow, bit the girl while she was at the dog owners’ home in February 2012. The man filed a civil suit in the Galveston County District Court for his daughter’s animal bite injuries on Jan. 22 of this year.
According to the girl’s father, she needed treatment for injuries following the bite. He is seeking compensation from the owners of the dog, and he said that the dog owners’ negligence led to his daughter’s injuries. He is holding them responsible and is asking for less than $100,000 to cover the costs of the girl’s medical bills stemming from her treatment.
Animal bites can cause serious injuries. Large breeds of dog can cause major damage if they bite or attack people, especially children. According to a 2000 article in the “Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association,” Chow Chows, like the dog in this incident, were involved in eight dog attack deaths from 1981 to 1996.
Medical expenses after an animal bite can be significant. Nerve damage is common after a dog bite and can lead to lasting pain in the affected area, and some people require surgery after they suffer such injuries. However, Texas has a one-bite law in place that makes it difficult to hold dog owners responsible for an attack if the dog has never bitten anyone before. Those who choose to file a claim against the dog owner must do so through the County or District Courts, as the Municipal Court that is dedicated to dog bite cases does not hold the power to order the dog owner to compensate the victims.
Source: Center for Disease Control, “Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998,” Jeffrey J. Sacks, MD, MPH; Leslie Sinclair, DVM; Julie Gilchrist, MD; Gail C. Golab, PhD, DVM; Randall Lockwood, Sept. 15, 2000
Source: The Southeast Texas Record, “Dog bite leads to lawsuit“, Thomas Kallies, January 31, 2014
