$450,000 Dog Bite – Severe face injury from dog bite, scarring, emotional distress

$450,000

Dog Bite

Injuries: Dog bite to face, minor child, severe facial injuries, scarring, psychological distress, emotional distress damages for parents

Amount of Award: $450,000

Plaintiff’s Lawyer: Attorney Marc L. Breakstone Boston, Massachusetts

Details of the Case

On May 3, 2001, plaintiff, a healthy 11 year old boy, was playing in the backyard of his next door neighbors with his neighbors’ son.  The neighbors’ dog, a German Shepard / Chow-Chow mix, was chained in the yard where the children were playing.  Plaintiff approached the dog to pet him, as he had done many times before that day.  As he was petting the dog, he placed his face next to the dog’s face for a kiss, and, without warning, the dog mauled the boy’s face.  Plaintiff ran home, bleeding profusely from severe lacerations to his forehead and nose.  Upon seeing his son’s bloodied and cut face, plaintiff’s father fainted on the spot.

Plaintiff was rushed by ambulance to the hospital where he underwent five hours of reconstructive surgery to repair his injuries.  As a result of his injuries, the boy suffered significant permanent facial scarring, anxiety and depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.  In addition, plaintiff’s psychological distress has caused him to experience severe abdominal distress.

The boy’s parents, also plaintiffs in the case, received compensation for severe emotional distress experienced after witnessing their son’s injuries.


For more information on choosing a dog bite or dog attack lawyer, please refer to our page on Personal Injury Caused by a Dog Bite or Dog Attack.