According to University of Colorado School of Medicine researchers, children, especially those who are unsupervised while playing with or touching dogs, are at risk of suffering dog bite injuries. Just recently, a 10-year-old girl was attacked by two American bulldogs in a neighbor’s yard during a Massachusetts dog attack. The girl had to receive medical care for her several dog bites. The animals’ owners plan to euthanize them.
More findings from the researchers, who studied 537 children treated for facial dog bites:
• In almost 90% of dog bite cases studied, the child knew the animal.
• 51% of cases involved a family pet.
• 15% of dog bite cases studied involved a neighbor’s dog.
• 13% involved a friend’s dog.
• 10% involved a relative’s dog.
• A dog that bites someone once is at greater risk of attacking again; usually the second time will be more vicious.
• A child has a 50% chance of being bitten by a dog; 80% of those injuries will be to the head and neck.
• Adolescents have a greater chance than young kids of being bitten by an unknown dog.
• 22% of the dog bite victims had to receive in-patient treatment.
Our Boston dog bite accident lawyers are all too familiar with the type of injuries that can be sustained by children that have been injured in a Massachusetts dog attack. Some dog bite injuries can leave permanent physical and/or psychological scars that may impact a victim for life.
Children, of course, are not the only ones who can sustain serious injuries from a dog mauling. Recently, 41-year-old Karen Stewart had to be placed in a drug-induced coma after a bulldog mix bit her more than 20 times. She was brought to a Boston hospital for treatment of her injuries. The authorities have charged the animal’s owner with keeping a dangerous dog.
Bulldogs attack 10-year-old girl in Massachusetts, Bangor Daily News, November 25, 2010
Maine dog attack victim put into induced coma, Boston.com, November 16, 2010
Unsupervised Kids at Risk for Dog Bites, Web MD, November 11, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Dog Bites, Nolo
Facial Dog Bite Injuries in Children Affect the Eyes More Often Than Previously Reported, Medscape Today, October 29, 2010
Contact our Boston injury law firm today.