Woman Loses Three Limbs From Infection After Dog Bite

Many people in Cape Cod are victims of unanticipated dog bites. Often, children are bitten because of the way they approach and play with unfamiliar dogs. There are many ways to avoid a dog bite and there are certain behaviors to look for to understand when a dog may feel threatened enough to bite a person. In Massachusetts, the pet’s owner is liable when a dog bites someone and causes injuries and suffering. There is no real defense. The victim may also be entitled to compensation for their injuries. If you or someone you love has been injured as a result of a dog bite, it is important to contact a local injury attorney who routinely handles dog bite cases.

A dog bite can cause a wide variety of injuries, ranging from a mild wound to a more serious bite to the face and neck. In an extreme case, it has been reported that a woman lost three limbs after her own dog bit her. According to the CBC news in Canada, a single mother raising four children in Ottawa was playing tug-of-war with her dogs when one of them nipped her on the hand. Afterward, that dog backed away and the other dogs licked her hand. The woman forgot about the incident; however, three days later she was taken to the hospital and doctors put her into a coma for a month and a half.

It turns out that the woman’s wound became infected with a bacterium that is commonly found in a dog’s saliva: Capnocytophaga canimorsus. In what is considered to be a rare occurrence, the bacterial infection caused her body to go into septic shock. In fact, the article suggests that there have been only 200 such cases worldwide in the past 25 years. But health officials could not pinpoint whether the infection stemmed from the initial bite or from the other dogs licking her wound. But once the infection took hold, her body went into septic shock, thereby restricting the blood flow to her extremities.

The victim has warned others to seek treatment after getting bitten by a dog if they feel that something is wrong. Penicillin can be used to treat this kind of an infection and may have prevented the tragic consequences. While this is a rare and tragic case of a person who has been bitten by their own pet, many people suffer serious and life altering injuries from a bite by another person’s dog.

When seeking redress against the dog’s owner, one can often receive an award from that party’s insurance company. In addition to physical injuries, some people experience devastating psychological effects. In those cases, victims can bring claims for counseling and psychotherapy, especially when the person injured is a child. Dog bite attacks can also cause nerve injuries, crush injuries and scarring, all of which should be included in the victim’s claim. An experienced, local injury attorney who handles dog bite cases on a regular basis will know precisely how to approach and handle your case to achieve the best possible settlement.

Local attorney, John C. Manoog III, has extensive experience helping parties in dog bite cases in Cape Cod. For a free initial consultation, call the office at 888-262-6664 or reach us by email. There is always someone available to talk to you about your case.

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