Not only do South Carolina personal injury lawyers know the danger an angry dog can pose to people, but also a North Charleston police officer. Last week, while in pursuit of a man who shoved him, the officer came into contact with a pit bull who was not pleased to see him. After following the suspect over a fence and into a yard, the pit bull attacked the officer forcing him to fire his weapon at the dangerous animal to prevent a potentially serious on the job injury.
The shot fired by the officer grazed the attacking animal’s ear giving the officer the opportunity to get away safely with only minor scratches and not a serious dog bite. The dog is fine, but the attack by the dog caused the officer to lose sight of the suspect and subsequently officers were unable to locate the officer-shoving man.
The point of the post is not to focus on the dog as distractor in this incident, but rather the harm that some dogs can pose. While this particular animal was confined to its yard when the attack occurred, what if the animal was left unattended? Would it still display the same aggressive and threatening behavior?
There is a responsibility that lies with dog owners and anyone in the care of a dog. In South Carolina this is called direct and indirect liability. In dog bite cases, any person who has the dog in his care or keeping at the time of the attack may be found liable for damages. A dog bite victim does not only suffer from the physical injuries associated with the attack such as facial and body scarring, broken bones and other trauma, but also may be forced to endure emotional and psychological damages such as fear of going outside after an attack.