Man Charged with Not Affixing Rabies Tag, Mail Carrier Bitten
A mail carrier in Montgomery, IL received several stitches after he was bitten by a pit bull dog while delivering the mail. The 47 year old mail carrier stated he was delivering the mail in early afternoon of June 2nd when a bull mastiff dog attacked and bit him. The dog’s owner was charged with failure to affix a rabies tag on the dog and authorities discovered the dog was not current on its vaccination for rabies. There was no word in the report on the severity of the mail carrier’s injuries other than the fact that he required several stitches to close the wound that he suffered.
The cliché about dogs and mail carriers is one that everybody is aware of but nobody realizes the serious truth behind this claim. Everyone knows that some dogs may pose a threat to an unsuspecting person. However, according to information from the NALC, roughly 10 mail carriers suffer injuries of varying degrees every day they deliver the mail. If a dog is left loose as in this situation, the owner of the dog could be held liable for any injuries a mail carrier or other individual may suffer if the dog attacks them.
The dog owner in this instance was charged with allowing his dog to run at large unlawfully. Current leash laws in Illinois make it necessary for all dog owners to have their dogs restrained by a leash or confined by a gate or cage of some kind in the owner’s premises or property. Since the owner of the dog failed to maintain control of his dog and keep it confined as necessary, he has been held liable for the injuries that the mail carrier suffered. There are many ways to prevent injuries to yourself or someone else because of your dog. During next week’s dog bite prevention week, you can find information on how to prevent injuries from dog bites.
