Fox Seven reports that a thirty-six year old Austin woman, was attacked and killed by several dogs in Northeast Travis County. The horrifying attack occurred on the afternoon of June 15th, just north of the city, in the town of Manor, Texas. According to the reporting, as many as six dog may have been involved in the vicious incident. Dog attacks remain far too common in Texas. If you or a loved one has been the victim of a dog attack, please contact an experienced dog bite lawyer as soon as possible.
The Dogs Were Left Largely Unattended
The victim had entered the property on a business matter when she was attacked by the dogs. According to the information provided by the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, the owner was out of town at the time. In fact, these dogs were often left completely unattended. They also had very limited human interaction. The six adults dogs on the property were apparently used solely for breeding purposes. Animal control authorities also recovered 14 puppies from the premises. None of the six adult dogs had been neutered or spayed and it is believed that fact, along with their general isolation, may have contributed to their aggressiveness towards humans. Further, this is not the first time these specific dogs have displayed dangerous behavior towards humans or other animals. Neighbors reported that they have long been afraid of the dogs. One neighbor stated that one of the dogs had attacked his pet a few months back. Another neighbor testified that she was afraid to let her children outside because of the dangers posed by the dogs.
Gross Negligence and Dog Attacks
It is disturbing to hear that these dogs had been a consistent safety threat to the area. Clearly, more should have been done to restrain these animals. Under Texas law, gross negligence is defined as either an act, or an omission that caused an extreme degree of risk to another party. In this case, a court would need to comprehensively review the facts to determine whether or not the risk caused by these aggressive dogs were extreme. Legally, this would be an important determination, because in Texas dog attack cases, a finding that the attack occurred as a result of gross negligence could potentially allow the victim, or their family, to recover punitive damages. Punitive damages are damages that are solely designed in order to punish the bad actions of the grossly negligent party. The goal of this punishment is to help dissuade others from committing similar wrongs. Punitive damages are always awarded in addition to compensatory damages. Dog attack victims deserve to have the full extent of their injury damages compensated.
Contact Our Office Today
Dog attack victims deserve fair compensation for their injuries. If you have injured by a dog, our experienced Texas dog bite injury attorneys will review your case for free and help you determine what to do next. Our firm has offices located in both San Antonio and Laredo and we help protect injured victims throughout the region, including in Austin and Travis County.
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