New Jersey Accident and Injury Law Blog : New Jersey Injury Lawyer & Attorney : The Grossman Law Firm : Serving Monmouth County, Bergen County

As a New Jersey dog bite lawyer, I often see how victims are subjected to blame and accusations of negligence or even aggression, when they have been subjected to a vicious attack by a dog. While I admit that there may be cases of provoked dog attacks, very often these attacks can happen with little provocation.

A 5-year-old girl in Plymouth, Pennsylvania is looking at spending several weeks in hospital after serious throat injuries in a dog bite attack. The girl was bitten at the Maple Acre Farms establishment by a German Shepherd that belonged to the proprietor of the establishment. The dog was apparently unleashed, and walking about the property freely. The girl was bitten on the neck, and left with serious injuries. She suffered severe damage to her vocal chords, a punctured larynx and has also undergone a tracheotomy. This little girl is currently hooked on to a ventilator.

The dog owner has admitted to police that his dog had been involved in bite attacks earlier. In fact, records show that the dog has bitten people on at least three previous occasions. In the most recent attack, the dog ended up almost biting off the victim’s ear.

There seems to have been nothing that the little girl here did to provoke an attack. She had seen the dog on previous visits to the property, and had even petted it earlier.  Her mother says they had no reason to believe the dog could turn vicious, because it was walking about freely, and unleashed.  They had no way of knowing that the dog had been involved in other attacks before.

This little girl is looking at not just up to a month in hospital, undergoing extensive treatment for her mutilated throat and neck, but also a lifetime of trauma and fear because of this attack. In New Jersey, I often find that we are too quick to blame victims of dog bites without knowing all the facts. Many times, dogs that are involved in bite attacks have been involved in attacks earlier, and owners have failed to leash their dogs properly.  While no one is blaming the dog here, to any New Jersey dog bite lawyer, it would seem that the owner of the German Shepard was extremely negligent in letting a dog with a history of aggression walk about freely, and unleashed.

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The Alliance for Rabies Control and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention marked World Rabies Day on the 28^th of September.

Fortunately, the US has been free of the canine rabies virus since 2007, mainly due to mandatory vaccinations and licensing standards. However, even though dogs may not contract the virus from another dog, they may still be at risk of contracting the virus from skunks, raccoons and other carriers, which is why owners are still required to vaccinate their dogs.

Although rabies may not be a major issue after a dog bite, you will still need basic first aid for the wound.  You may also need antibiotics, and your doctor may also recommend a Tetanus shot. In case of a child dog bite victim, it's best to seek immediate medical attention. This is especially true if the dog bites are located on the face, head or neck. If the dog can be traced to an owner, vaccination records will show whether it was vaccinated or not. However, in case of a dog that attacks and flees the scene with no owner nearby, and no way of tracing the owner, then your doctor may suggest a rabies vaccine.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 4.5 million people every year suffer dog bites. One in five of these will be injured severely enough to require medical treatment for their injuries.   Not surprisingly, children are at a higher risk of serious injuries in a dog bite attack.  Adults aren’t completely safe either. In August, an elderly couple in Georgia was mauled to death by a pack of dogs owned by a single owner.

In New Jersey, dog owners are liable for any damages caused by a dog bite involving their pet, even if their dog has never previously showed any signs of being dangerous or vicious.

Scott Grossman is a New Jersey dog bite lawyer representing dog bite attack victims in Monmouth, Bergen, Passaic and Ocean Counties, and across New Jersey.

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Yet another pit-bull attack in New Jersey resulting in serious wounds.  The Star Ledger recently reported that a 41 year-old woman from Union City was in her son’s apartment when her son’s two pit bulls attacked each other.  The woman and her son attempted to break up the fight when one of the pit bulls attacked them. The son received a minor bite on his hand and did not want to receive any medical attention. However, the woman had several puncture wounds on her right arm and was taken to the Jersey City Medical Center.

As a New Jersey dog bite lawyer, I can say that many of my clients have been attacked by pit-bulls or mixed breeds that likely had some pit bull in them.  However, the attacks also occur from a multitude of breeds and mixed breeds. The leading studies also reinforce this data. 

It has been my experience that the more severe dog bite victims often endure severe puncture wounds, bone crushing or bone piercing injuries of the face, arms, head, legs or other body parts.  Unfortunately, often times it is not just the physical scarring that will endure but the emotional scarring that may have an even more detrimental permanent effect on the victim.    This may occur when the victim of a severe and brutal dog bite attack suffers emotional trauma in the form of post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. 

The victims of severe dog bite attacks experiencing PTSD may lose the ability to cope with normal everyday situations.  For example; the victim may avoid many social situations for fear that a dog could be around.  Even a small non threatening dog could produce a tremendous amount of fear and anxiety to someone suffering from PTSD as a result of a dog attack.    This can be extremely debilitating and life altering.  The most severely affected dog bite victims will actually lose their freedom to just go for a simple walk around their neighborhood for fear of experiencing the horror once again. They relive the attack in their minds and something that may have lasted only a few seconds will seem like the longest moments of their lives. These victims endure their own “Vietnam War”. The PTSD can produce severe changes in the victim’s personality that may destroy their relationships and can even lead to the total breakdown of the family unit. 

After a severe dog bite attack if the victim begins to experience any of the above symptoms, receiving a proper diagnosis by a competent mental health professional is extremely important.  While ongoing long term psychotherapy may work well for some individuals, for others it is just too stressful and anxiety producing to re-enter the darkest and scariest moments of his or her life.       

Keep an eye out for future posts on this blog where I plan on revealing the problems with the laws in the state of New Jersey as they relate to the procedures that are to be taken by the authorities after a dog bite attack. My opinions are based on my experiences in representing victims of dog bite attacks in places like Paterson and Freehold as well as counties such as Bergen, Monmouth, Middlesex, Passaic and Ocean Counties.   

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