USPS Worker Dies After Dog Attack in Putnam County

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on August 24, 2022

A Florida community suffered a sense of shock and extreme sadness earlier this week when a 61-year-old postal worker lost her life less than twenty-four hours after being attacked by a pack of dogs in rural Putnam County.

According to a press release from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office to local news outlets, 61-year-old Melrose resident and U.S. postal carrier Pamela Jane Rock tragically died on Monday, August 22, 2022, when she succumbed to the severe injuries she received the previous day when five dogs escaped their fenced-in yard and mauled her.

Preliminary investigations by officers with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office indicate that 61-year-old Pamela Jane Rock was in the process of performing her routine mail services in the area of Interlachen Lake Estates when her company-issued truck suffered an unknown malfunction and broke down along the side of the road. At this point, the details are still unclear, however, it is presumed that Ms. Rock exited her vehicle to figure out what the problem was with the mail truck and that’s when the five dogs from a nearby property attacked her.

Witness statements retrieved from local residents said that they heard a woman screaming and when they ran over to where the noises were coming from, Ms. Rock was fighting off the dogs to the best of her ability. “One of the neighbors even brought his firearm along and fired several shots into the air and to the ground in an attempt to disrupt the attack,” stated Putnam County Sheriff Chief Deputy Colonel Joseph Wells. The smattering of gunshots did little to dissuade the attack so the owners and neighbors stepped in and pulled the dogs off of the badly-injured postal worker.

Officers wrapped tourniquets around the victim’s multiple wounds and applied basic first aid until additional emergency personnel arrived at the scene and transported her to the hospital. From there, Ms. Rock was airlifted in critical condition to a trauma center in Gainesville. She managed to survive until Monday evening when she sadly passed away from her injuries.

At this time, no formal charges have been filed against the owner of the animals, but all five dogs were taken into custody by animal control and will be humanely euthanized at a later date.

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.