We have recovered compensation for a young girl who was bitten on the face by a dog
Our award-winning personal injury team received an enquiry from a mother whose young daughter had been bitten on the face by a dog. They had been on a family outing to a pub with a garden where they fell into conversation with the dog’s owner. The dog owner reassured the mum and her daughter that the dog was friendly and invited the little girl, who was just 8-years-old at the time, to pet it. However, the dog reacted agressively and the girl suffered a nasty bite to her face which needed hospital treatment.
We agreed to make a compensation claim for a little girl (who we shall call ‘F’ here for confidentiality reasons) and work on a No Win, No Fee basis. As F was under 18 her mother acted as her “litigation friend” and ran the claim on her daughter’s behalf. Lawyer Elizabeth Duncan had conduct of the case for F.
A letter of claim was sent to the dog owner. Elizabeth argued that the dog owner had been negligent bacause he had:
- failed to properly control and secure the dog;
- neglected to supervise or monitor the dog’s behaviour; and
- failed to take reasonable care as regards to F’s safety by not warning her of the dog’s character accurately.
Happily the dog owner’s insurance company responded promptly and admitted liability for what had happened.
Medical evidence was obtained, detailing F’s injuries and whether they would have a lasting affect on her life. Evidence was presented by a psychiatrist and a plastic surgeon. Given F’s young age things were then put on hold for a year to see how the scar affected her face as she grew and developed. This also allowed F’s psychological symptoms relating to dogs to settle down with the recommendations made by the psychiatrist.
Once F’s long term position was known, Elizabeth was able to reach an out-of-court settlement with the dog owner’s insurance company, with a five-figure sum being agreed. This will be invested for F until she turns 18.
