MORENO VALLEY  — A large bull mastiff has been caught and quarantined after it attacked a woman and her child Tuesday, biting off part of his ear.

The mauling was reported at 11:42 a.m. outside a home on Indian Street, just south of Myers Avenue.

The woman was walking with her son, 6, and pushing a stroller with a younger child at 11:40 a.m. on Indian Avenue when a 120-pound bull mastiff jumped a chain link fence from a nearby yard and begin attacking the boy, according to Riverside County sheriff’s Cpl. Courtney Donowho.

The dog latched onto the boy’s head, partially severing his right ear, Moreno Valley Animal Services Manager Steve Fries said.

Authorities said the mother fought off the dog, which then turned on her, biting her left hip.

The child in the stroller was not injured.

The dog’s owner came out of his home and was able to pull the dog back into the backyard before authorities arrived.

Both the mother and the son were hospitalized for dog bite injuries and are expected to recover.

Moreno Valley animal control officers took the dog to the city shelter, where it will be quarantined for the next 10 days. The homeowner turned over ownership of the dog to animal control officers. The 18-month-old, male animal will probably be euthanized, Fries said.

“We wouldn’t consider this dog a candidate for adoption,” Fries said, noting that it attacked two people unprovoked.

From what the witnesses told me, the dog just hit the fence and bulldozed through,” an animal control officer told reporters.

The dog is big – estimated to weigh 160 pounds. It took four people to subdue the dog and get it into the animal control truck, Mills reports.

A honk from a passing car interrupted the attack, and may have saved the child’s life, Mills reports.

The owners of the dog were cooperative, turned the dog over and were cited. The dog will be quarantined for 10 days and then euthanized.

Dog Attacks and serious injury liability

CALIFORNIA DOG BITE STATUTE SECTION 3342

Under California Law, it is no longer necessary for the Plaintiff to prove that the dog was known to be vicious or had a propensity to bite.  One bite alone is sufficient for liability.  Dog owners do not get a second chance in California.  They are liable for any injury their animals cause regardless of whether the animal had bitten anyone previously.  Under California Dog Bite Statute Section 3342 the Plaintiff must prove in a dog bite case the following:

• Defendant owned the dog;
• The dog bit the Plaintiff;
• The Plaintiff was lawfully on the premises (express or implied consent to be on the premises) where the bite occured; and
• Plaintiff sustained injuries from the dog bite.

What You Should Do If You Or A Loved One Has Been Bitten By A Dog:

• Take pictures of your injuries immediately;
• Consult law enforcement and request that a police report be made;
• Keep copies of all medical bills and records;
• Continue to take pictures of the bite(s) as the wounds heal;
• Be sure that your doctor is qualified and determine if you are a candidate for plastic surgery to get rid of the scarring;
• If an adult who is employed sustained injuries and lost wages, keep a record of economic loss.

WE WILL FIGHT FOR YOU!

Demand accountability from dog owners.  Settling dog bite claims can be difficult and complex.  Many times the insurance companies will play “hardball” if you try to settle the case yourself or you have employed a lawyer who does not have the litigation experience to handle such a case.  We at the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler have 20 years of litigation experience and we know how to handle the insurance companies.  We are prepared to front all of the costs required for the necessary investigations and expert witnesses needed to prepare your case for trial.  Are the other law firms you are considering willing to front all costs?

In a dog bite case, we advance all legal costs to prepare and present our client’s claim, and receive a percentage of the settlement or verdict  of what we recover for our attorney’s fees on their behalf.  Upon settlement our costs shall be reimbursed to us from the gross recovery.  If there is no recovery, no attorney’s fees or costs are owed to our firm.  Thus, in all personal injury cases, our fees are recovered as a percentage of any settlement or verdict awarded to our clients.

Contact the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler today so that we can preserve the evidence and demand compensation and accountability from the responsible parties who caused you or your family member catastrophic injuries!

If you or a family member sustained serious dog bite injuries contact the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler, an experienced law firm, immediately to protect your legal rights and preserve the evidence.

2011 statistics

• 31 U.S. fatal dog attacks occurred in 2011. Despite being regulated in Military Housing Areas and over 650 U.S. cities, pit bulls led these attacks accounting for 71% (22). Pit bulls make up less than 5% of the total U.S. dog population.2
• Notably in 2011, adult victims of fatal pit bull attacks more than doubled the number of child victims. Of the 22 total pit bull victims, 68% (15) fell between the ages of 32 to 76, and 32% (7) were ages 5 years and younger.
• The year 2011 also marks an increase in pet pit bulls killing their owners. Of the 8 total instances this year in which a family dog inflicted fatal injury to its primary caretaker, the dog’s owner, 88% (7) involved pet pit bulls.
• Together, pit bulls (22) and rottweilers (4), the number two lethal dog breed, accounted for 84% of all fatal attacks in 2011. In the 7-year period from 2005 to 2011, this same combination accounted for 73% (156) of the total recorded deaths (213).
• The breakdown between pit bulls and rottweilers is substantial over this 7-year period. From 2005 to 2011, pit bulls killed 127 Americans,3 about one citizen every 20 days, versus rottweilers, which killed 29; about one citizen every 88 days.
• Annual data from 2011 shows that 58% (18) of the attacks occurred to adults (21 years and older) and 42% (13) occurred to children (11 years and younger). Of the children, 62% (8) occurred to ages 1 and younger.
• 2011 data also shows that 39% (12) of the fatal incidents involved more than one dog; 26% (8) involved breeding on the dog owner’s property either actively or in the recent past, and 6% (2) involved tethered dogs, down from 9% in 2010 and 19% in 2009.
• Dog ownership information for 2011 shows that family dogs comprised 65% (20) of the attacks that resulted in death; 74% (23) of all incidents occurred on the dog owner’s property and 29% (9) resulted in criminal charges, up from 15% in 2010.
• The states of California and Texas led fatalities in 2011, each with 4 deaths; pit bulls and their mixes contributed to 88% (7) of the 8 deaths. North Carolina, New Mexico, South Carolina and Virginia each incurred 2 deaths.
• 2011 Fatal Dog attacks by breed

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