8-Year-Old Child Hospitalized after Dog Attack
An 8-yerar-old boy in Florida had to be rushed to the hospital because of injuries he suffered as a result of a pit bull dog attack. The attack happened outside the boy’s home and the dog chased the boy inside the home following the attack. The homeowners chased the dog away and animal care authorities removed it from the area. The child was transported by air to a medical facility for treatment of wounds to his face. Despite the cuts to his face, the boy was not more seriously injured in the attack. There is no report whether or not animal control authorities maintained custody of the dog.
According to the CDC, incidents of dog bites amongst children are beginning to decrease, but this incident demonstrates how prevalent they still are. Statistics show that 4.5 people are bitten by dogs every year and at least 885,000 of those people require medical attention for dog bite injuries. Unfortunately many of these incidents involve children that are a very young age. Children are more susceptible to dog attacks for many reasons including because of their natural curiosity. When a young child first sees a dog, their first reaction is to go over and touch or pet it. In many cases the dog lashes out at the child when the child reaches toward it.
There are a number of things that could have caused the dog to attack the 8-year-old boy but until an investigation reveals the cause, there is no way to know the specific factors that played into it. If another person, such as the dog’s owner, was found to be involved in some way, they could face legal consequences for their dog’s actions. Obtaining legal representation from a qualified attorney should be the first step for anybody whose child was bitten by a dog that caused serious injuries.
A child should not have to face possible surgery and other medical attention for a dog attack that could have easily been avoided or prevented in the first place. The 8-year-old child victimized in this incident and the dog involved should both have been monitored properly to prevent this situation from occurring.
