Pit Bull Attacks Owner, Bystanders in Pleasanton Dog Mauling Incident

According to a KSAT News report, a man was attacked by his pit bull and hospitalized with two others who tried to assist him in Pleasanton.

Police reported the incident occurred at around 4:30 p.m. on Monday, March 3rd, near South Smith Street and East White Street. Police received reports of a woman and a child being attacked by a large dog, and they received additional calls about a third man being attacked while en route to the scene. When they arrived, responding officers found a man on the ground “losing a lot of blood” and fired a shot at the dog to prevent further attack. The dog stopped attacking the other man and began running toward other people.

Police attempted to use non-lethal measures to protect bystanders, but they were ineffective. They then shot and killed the dog. The man on the ground who suffered significant blood loss was reportedly the dog’s owner. He was hospitalized along with two other victims.

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Did You Know?

ACS responded to 4,800 dog bites in San Antonio between January 1st, 2023, and July 31st, 2024.

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Facial Injuries from Dog Attacks

Dog attacks frequently end in severe emotional trauma and serious injuries. One of the most challenging and mentally devastating injuries is dog bites to the face.

Victims of dog bites to the face usually have to undergo some kind of reconstructive surgery and suffer significant pain during recovery. Unfortunately, most victims of facial injuries from dog bites are children younger than 18 years old.

Most Common Facial Injuries from Dog Attacks

A 2022 study analyzed seven different articles documenting dog attacks to the face in the United Kingdom, ranging from 1998 to 2019. Children under 18 consisted of between 24.7% and 100% of the cases reviewed. In those studies, they found that facial injuries were the third most common type of injury from a dog attack and most commonly included the following areas:

• The lips (8.9%－45.7%),
• The cheek (24.5%－27.4%)
• And the nose (10.3%－24.8%).

Most patients (30 % – 98%) reported more than one face injury. Other less common facial areas included:

• Eyelids,
• Ears,
• and Cheekbones.

The type of injury was not listed in the reports. However, facial injuries from dog attacks in the U.S. most commonly include things like:

• Lacerations,
• Deep puncture wounds,
• Swelling of the tongue,
• And nerve damage (weakness, tingling, burning, partial or total paralysis).

Less common injuries include things like:

• Fractured cheekbones,
• Fractured orbital or nasal bones,
• Fractures to the mandible or sinus.

Treatment for Facial Injuries

〈If you or your child are ever bitten in the face by a dog, immediately seek emergency care!〉

Treatment for facial injuries will depend on the severity of the injury. In the 2022 study, emergency room treatment was all that was required for most of the injured patients (56.3% – 100%). However, facial reconstruction surgery had to be performed in some of the cases (2.3% – 33.5%). The most common procedures for these cases included:

• Local or advancement flap — A section of the skin and underlying tissue is removed from one area to another to repair a defect.
• Full-thickness skin graft — A complete layer of skin (dermis and epidermis) is removed from one area and grated to another to repair a defect.
• Split skin graft — A thin layer of skin is removed and grafted to another area to repair a defect.

Recovery time for these procedures can range from 4 to 6 weeks, and additional surgeries may be required.

Suing for a Facial Injury from a Dog Attack

If a loose or aggressive dog bit you or your child in San Antonio, you may be eligible to file a claim against the dog’s owner.

Compensation for dog bite injuries to the face directly reflects what damages you suffered and will vary from case to case. They may include things like:

• Ambulance Costs,
• ER Treatment,
• Disfigurement,
• Surgeries,
• Pain and Suffering,
• Missed Work,
• And Trauma/PTSD.

A dog attack lawyer can explain exactly what you’re legally entitled to in a free consultation.

Bitten by an Aggressive Dog in San Antonio? Call Shaw!

Dog bites are no joke–they can result in serious, debilitating injuries that can leave you or your child scarred for life.

If you were bitten by a loose or aggressive dog in San Antonio, call Shaw at 800-862-1260 to schedule a free case evaluation with a dog attack attorney. You’ll find out what you’re legally entitled to and have your legal questions answered for free, with no obligation to hire the firm when you’re done.

Carabin Shaw has been a trusted name in San Antonio for over 32 years because we put our clients first. We look forward to serving you.

 

¹KSAT Report

²Dog Bite Statistics in San Antonio

³Mayo Clinic on Dog Bites to Children