Dog Bite

North Sacramento Has a Dog Bite Problem

October 25, 2017 | by Moseley Collins

According to the Sacramento Bee, more dog bites happen in North Sacramento than anywhere else in the city, citing 2,800 bite reports, many of which required hospital treatment, between 2012 and 2017. Of the twenty-three zip codes in the area, 95815 and 95838 reported the most dog bites, 647 total. One-fourth of all dog bite reports in the city. These two zip codes cover the area from American River to the city boundary in the north and from the east boundary to Steelhead Creek. City groups such as the Del Paso Heights Community Association confronted city officials about the dog bite problem in North Sacramento only to be told there was nothing they could do about it and there was not adequate funding for animal control in the city.

Gina Knepp, the manager of Front Street Shelter and person responsible for the city’s animal control, is quoted as saying proactive measures are limited because there are only six animal control employees and never more than two on duty at the same time. A backlog of more than 270 dog bite complaints existed earlier this year.

A report from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 2013 showed that when crime and social disease are a part of the community, there are also problems with animal control. In the report, impounded animals at SPCA shelters and those by the city and county of Sacramento were investigated and the highest concentrations were found in Del Paso Heights and Oak Park. The information from the report was combined with a map of the city’s worst areas for building code violations. The most dog bite problems happen in the areas with poor housing maintenance and code violations. There tends to be less fenced in areas and more dogs roaming free on the streets.

Is There a Greater Chance of Dog Bites in Summer?

May 4, 2015 | by Moseley Collins

We have all heard the old saying about the dog days of summer. This colorful phrase refers to the hottest, most sultry days of summer. While the origins of this phrase have more to do with Roman constellation names than actual canines, the sentiment is the same, but does it really mean dogs are more irritable in the hotter months?

Studies have shown us that hot weather does indeed have an effect on the number of dog bites each summer but not directly. Summer and hot weather effect dog bite factors in secondary ways but they are just as detrimental. The majority of the misconception comes from variances in a dog’s behavior in warm temperatures which are mistaken as aggression.

Rabies

Can Cat Bites Be More Risky than Dog Bites?

July 21, 2014 | by Moseley Collins

Animal bites are always frightening. Dog bites are always in the news and can be devastating. Other animals can be responsible for dangerous bites and one that is often overlooked is the cat.

According to mayo Clinic research, while dog bites are more prevalent and can cause more physical damage, cat bites cause more serious and damaging infections that can result in hospitalization and lifelong effects. The study also showed that two thirds of cat bite victims require surgery to remove all infection from the wound.

Dog bites differ from cat bites in a number of ways. Dog bites occur most often in children while cat bites most often happen to middle aged women.

Dog Bite Incidents at a Low in Sacramento

January 22, 2014 | by Moseley Collins

Dog bites are serious business. Even bites from small dogs can be harmful and even deadly. Besides the obvious damage, dog bites can cause diseases and permanent scarring, disfigurement and lifelong maladies. Seeking the aid of Moseley Collins immediately after a dog bite is imperative.

Dog bite statistics are on the decline in Sacramento and California in general, according to dogbites.org. Only five fatalities from a dog bite were reported in 2012, the latest statistics. Eight were reported in 2011. Two of the five in 2012 were pit bull related. The other three involved a German Shepherd, Rottweiler and a Husky. Four of the attacks involved children.

While dog bites are down, they cannot be totally prevented. There is always a chance a dog will bite. Animals, even fully domesticated, are unpredictable.

Personal Injury – Dog And Animal Attacks

December 7, 2012 | by Moseley Collins

People, for the most part, think of dog bites when it comes to animal attacks. But the fact is that birds can also cause harm to us aside from dogs. Like dogs, birds are also capable of biting a person. Cats can cause injuries to kids as well as adults. Small pets like gerbils, ferrets, rats, chinchillas and other pets may also cause injuries. Normally, you will not find that many people having pet animals, such as large cats, specific species of monkeys and other common wild animals. However, injuries caused by common pet animals, such as dogs, are more dangerous. The injured person can file a claim against the owner of the pet animal in order to recover compensation for the injuries. So, dog bites are also under the umbrella of personal injuries.

Before choosing to file a case against the owner of the dog, you should look for legal advice in order to figure out if you can get compensation for the injuries you sustained due to animal attack. An experienced personal injury lawyer can help you determine the strength of your case. They will also help you to find out the details of your case.

In the court, you will have to prove that the pet animal was dangerous and attacked you and that resulted in injuries. Such animals are a threat to passer bys and can bite them. As a result, the victim will need to get medical assistance at once. The liability falls on the shoulders of the owner of the dog. The owner is responsible for restraining their animal irrespective of the fact that the animal was vicious or dangerous.

Family Dog Killed by Neighbor’s Pit Bull in Sacramento Dog Attack

June 30, 2012 | by Moseley Collins

The following blog entry is written to illustrate an example of an injury case. Reviewing this kind of lawsuit should help potential plaintiffs and clients better understand how parties in personal injury cases present such issues to the court.

(Please also note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this dog bite lawsuit and its proceedings.)

FACTS/CONTENTIONS

According to Plaintiff: On the afternoon of March 19, 2003, plaintiff Chelo Remmington was pulling up in front of her house in her van in Sacramento when she noticed two pit bulls being walked by young boys. She was concerned because the dogs were approaching a group of boys playing basketball at the end of the street, one of whom was her son. She could hear the two boys who were walking the dogs taunting the basketball players by threatening to sic the pit bulls on them. As her van rolled to a stop, she saw the family’s 18-pound female American Eskimo, Puffy, bound out of the house to greet her. One of the pit bills caught sight of Puffy from across the street, pulled the 11-year-old boy who was walking him to the ground, and dragged him several feet before the boy released the leash. The pit bull chased Puffy into her yard and attacked and killed her as plaintiff, her children, and the young children attending plaintiff’s licensed daycare program watched helplessly.

Later that day, plaintiff Ted Gaff, Remmington’s fiance and co-owner of Puffy, distraught over the dog’s death, went to the home of defendants Sherry and Ryan Leon, owners of the pit bulls, and threatened to kill their dog. He later became involved in a physical altercation with defendants’ 17-year-old son.

As a result of the March 19, 2003 incident, the pit bill in question was declared a ‘dangerous dog.‘
Plaintiffs alleged that defendants were on notice of their dog’s dangerous propensities, having been previously notified by the Humane Society of an earlier incident in which their two pit bulls got loose and chased a man onto the hood of a car.

Defendants claimed that they took proper precautions to ensure that the dogs would not get loose. They claimed that they had instituted a rule under which the dogs could not be walked by any child without an adult present.

For more information you are welcome to contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer, Moseley Collins.

Man Claims He Fell Down Hill While Fighting Off Four Unleashed Dogs in Sacramento Dog Bite Case

June 23, 2012 | by Moseley Collins

The following blog entry is written to illustrate an example of an injury case. Reviewing this kind of lawsuit should help potential plaintiffs and clients better understand how parties in personal injury cases present such issues to the court.

(Please also note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this dog bite lawsuit and its proceedings.)

INJURIES: Shelly went to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with a nondisplaced fractured wrist, a dislocated biceps tendon and a full thickness tear of his rotator cuff.

Facts:

On Sept. 17, 2007, plaintiff Matthew Shelly, 58, a clothing store proprietor, was confronted by four unleashed dogs while standing near a retired landfill behind his Sacramento home. He allegedly fell down a 40-foot hill during the incident.

Shelly sued the dogs’ owners, Renee Sean and Chelsey Temple, for negligence and strict liability. Plaintiffs’ counsel alleged that Shelly was at the top of a hill when the dogs came rushing toward him from the base of the hill. The lawyer asserted that the dogs attacked Shelly, and that Sean’s dog bit Shelly.

Plaintiff’s counsel noted that, despite the fact that Shelly had tried to ward the dogs off by pushing and kicking at them, he fell three times during the brief melee, ending up at the base of the hill.

For more information you are welcome to contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer, Moseley Collins.

Unleashed Pit Bulls Attack Two Pedestrians Causing Multiple Injuries

June 16, 2012 | by Moseley Collins

The following blog entry is written to illustrate an example of an injury case. Reviewing this kind of lawsuit should help potential plaintiffs and clients better understand how parties in personal injury cases present such issues to the court.

(Please also note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this dog bite lawsuit and its proceedings.)

INJURIES: Zane sustained lacerations to his left forearm, right leg, calf and left buttock and pain in his left wrist. He received stitches for his wounds. He claimed $11,985.85 in past medical expenses.

Facts:

On April 30, 2008, plaintiffs Liam Zane, 44, a driver for a freight company, and Jimmy Kzech, 58, a small business owner, were attacked by two dogs in Sacramento. The dogs — owned by Ching and Lee Sawe — were Pit Bull mixes which were unleashed and had reportedly escaped from the Sawes’ yard.

At the time of the incident, Zane was walking his dog in front of his home, when the Sawes’ pooches — probably agitated by the presence of his dog — attacked him without provocation. Subsequently, the canines ran down the street and attacked Kzech, who was walking with his wife near their residence.

For more information you are welcome to contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer, Moseley Collins.

Woman Claims Dog Attack Caused Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Injury (PTSD)

June 9, 2012 | by Moseley Collins

The following blog entry is written to illustrate an example of an injury case. Reviewing this kind of lawsuit should help potential plaintiffs and clients better understand how parties in personal injury cases present such issues to the court.

(Please also note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this dog bite lawsuit and its proceedings.)

INJURIES: Otter sustained a puncture wound to her right arm. She was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which she claimed that she developed as a result of the dog attack. She suffers from occasional flashbacks and is now afraid of big dogs.

Facts:

On July 25, 2007, plaintiff Elene Otter, 36, a newscaster, was walking her small dog on Pacific Grove near a post office when two dogs, a Labrador retriever and a German shepherd, jumped out of parked car window and at least one attacked Otter’s dog. Otter was attacked when she tried to intervene. Two good Samaritans stopped the attack.

Otter sued the dogs’ owner, Diana Bean, and Bean’s father, Dan Amos, who was in the car with the dogs at the time of the incident.

Plaintiff’s counsel argued that Amos was in the car at the time of the incident on his cell phone and that he did not try to stop the attack on Otter and her dog. Counsel argued that Amos committed gross negligence. Otter claimed that the attack lasted three to five minutes.

Defense counsel contended that there was no evidence that both dogs attacked. Counsel stated that one dog was grabbed by a bystander and led back to the car. Amos was on the phone at the time of the incident and did not know what was happening until the attack was over. Counsel claimed that the attack was over in a matter of seconds and that Amos was not just watching the attack happen, but rather, he was unaware of what was happening.

For more information you are welcome to contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer, Moseley Collins.

Sacramento Dog Bite Brings Lawsuit For Woman and Child, Part 2 of 2

March 23, 2012 | by Moseley Collins

The following blog entry is written to illustrate an example of an injury case. Reviewing this kind of lawsuit should help potential plaintiffs and clients better understand how parties in personal injury cases present such issues to the court.

(Please also note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this dog bite lawsuit and its proceedings.)

Callox claimed that she will continue to need two filler injections annually for the next 10 years. She claimed that she has some residual scarring, but that it is only visible at close range.

Callox claimed she went through a lot of excruciating pain during the time of her surgeries, but that she now deals with only numbness and minimal discomfort. She said that she planned on returning to work as an actress, which was delayed as a result of the injury.

She asked the jury for $70,000 in damages for past medical costs and $6,000 annually for future medical costs for the filler injections. She also sought $900,000 for past pain and suffering and $150,000 for future pain and suffering.

Ramsey claimed emotional distress damages in regard to witnessing her mother get bitten by the dog. Her parents claimed she developed odd behavior and they sought out a psychologist two years after the incident.

For more information you are welcome to contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer, Moseley Collins.