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Maryland Dog Bites off Part of Anne Arundel County Police Officer?s Ear

By Jack Lebowitz, Esq. and Vadim Mzhen, Esq.

In Maryland, an Anne Arundel County cop lost part of his ear on Thursday when he bitten by a neighbor?s dog. Officer Michael McDermott, who was off-duty, was rescuing the dog when the unfortunate incident happened.

McDermott had pulled the dog out from under a fallen tree when it slipped its snout from from a makeshift muzzle and bit off part of the police officer?s ear. The dog died soon after of its injuries. McDermott was treated for his injuries at Anne Arundel Medical Center.

According for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 4.7 million people are the victims of dog attacks each year, with nearly 800,000 of these bites serious enough to require medical care. 368,000 people a year will visit a hospital emergency room for treatment of injuries sustained in a dog attack or mauling.

Examples of serious dog bite injuries:

? Facial disfigurement
? Severed limbs
? Internal injuries
? Mental or emotional trauma
? Death

Depending on the victim?s injuries, reconstructive surgery and other painful procedures may be warranted. The victim may also have to undergo additional trauma, such as having to go out in public with a disfigured face or other severe scars that may not fully heal.

In Maryland, dog owners can be held liable for personal injury caused by their pets. However, the degree to which the owner knew or should have known that a dog could hurt someone is a factor in determining whether reasonable care was exercised to prevent the pet from causing injury.

Arundel officer loses part of ear to dog he pulled from under tree, Baltimore Sun, October 31, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Cat and Dog Bites, Family Doctor.org

Dog Bite Liability, Insurance Information Institute

Throughout Maryland and Washington DC our dog bite lawyers at Lebowitz & Mzhen would like to talk to you.

Full post as published by Maryland Accident Law Blog on November 03, 2008 (boomark / email).