Dog Bite Changes Florida Woman’s Life

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on November 1, 2009

The victim of a Florida dog bite saw the blood coming from her foot and ankle, but said the fact that a dog had attacked her didn’t seem real while it was happening to her. This article recently published in Florida Today accounted a dog bite attack that severely injured a 73-year-old Geneva woman. The dog attack resulted in the victim having a crushed left ankle and a left foot that was dangling from her leg by a few pieces of skin.

“It was emotionally difficult for me,” the 73-year-old Geneva resident said. “But I’ve accepted it…now I’m just grateful for every day I can get around and do something.”

The dog bite victim keeps photographs of her bloody, mangled foot in her pocketbook, and if it weren’t for the faint bite marks on her ankle, no one would know that her surgically repaired foot is the same one in the photographs. The pictures show a bloody, mangled foot turned sideways with its painted toenails perpendicular to the leg it is still attached to by strips of skin.

While the tissue damage on her ankle may have healed remarkably, the dog bite victim is still struggling with her recovery as the same leg and ankle suffered muscle damage from radiation therapy for cancer around fifty years ago. Before the dog bite attack, the victim was an active member of several women’s and community organizations. She says she’s getting along and keeping as busy as she can, but often finds herself looking out the window thinking about when she could walk on the beach, tend her garden and take care of the three horses she was compelled to sell because she was no longer able to care for them.

Her family was not spared from the repercussions of the dog bite attack. Her husband must take care of her now along with the housework, and her daughter still has nightmares about her mother’s screams while the dog bite attack was happening. The attack happened in March 2007, and a Brevard County Animal Services and Enforcement investigation into the incident found that the dog had an allegedly violent history that included at least three unprovoked attacks on people in other states. The Akita was put to sleep after the attack.

Since 1977, Orlando dog bite attorney James O. Cunningham has been helping dog bite and animal attack victims recover from these horrifying experiences. He helps them obtain the financial compensation they deserve to help with the high costs of health care and other expenses related to the animal attack. If a dog has attacked you or someone you care for, schedule a free consultation today by calling the Law Offices of James O. Cunningham.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.