Elderly Woman Seriously Injured in New Jersey Dog Bite Attack
As New Jersey dog bite lawyers often see, older people and children are more likely to be severely injured and traumatized by dog bite attacks. That’s why the case of 70-year-old Maria Zaldana who was attacked by a pair of pit bulls earlier this month was particularly heart rending for me.
Zaldana was apparently walking along a street on her way to her job at a florist’s in Bayonne, Hudson County, when she saw the dogs sitting on a porch. According to her friends, Zaldana is afraid of dogs, so she decided to cross the street. However, the dogs began to follow her, and soon attacked her. Zaldana suffered facial and leg injuries, and was left with portions of her scalp and skin ripped off. She was first taken to the New Jersey Medical Center and later taken into the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark.
The owner of the dogs was out of town, and had apparently given the dogs to a relative to watch them. The dogs seem to have escaped from the friend’s house. The animals have been put down.
The dog owner, Jessica Manno is now facing charges. The entire tragic incident has quickly turned into a shockingly insensitive finger pointing exercise with one of the owners of the pit bulls, co-owner Jason Reid blaming Zaldana. Reid who says he owns the dogs along with Manno, is blaming Zaldana for provoking the dogs into an attack.
It begs the question - why would a 70-year-old woman who was afraid of dogs provoke not one, but a two pit bulls into attacking her? Unfortunately, as a Monmouth County dog bite lawyer, I see this sort of denial or lack for sensitivity -call it what you will - by dog owners very often.
