Six-Year-Old Girl Attacked in Her Front Yard by Neighbor’s Great Dane

July 9, 2013 - PRLog -- Lynwood, CA – A six-year-old girl was playing in the front yard of her home when she was violently attacked by her neighbor’s Great Dane. The dog had escaped from the neighbor’s backyard just before the incident. The young girl’s grandmother witnessed the dog attack. The grandmother watched in horror as the Great Dane, whose weight can reach 200 pounds for males and 130 pounds for females, took the girl’s head into its mouth and violently shook her body back and forth.

The Great Dane’s owner was eventually able to forcibly pull the girl’s head out of the dog’s mouth, but not in time to prevent the child from sustaining multiple deep lacerations to her face and scalp. Following the violent attack the dog was removed from the owner’s home by the Department of Animal Care and Control. The Great Dane was quarantined and subsequently euthanized by the Department.

The girl’s physical injuries included multiple deep lacerations on the face and scalp, thereby requiring craniofacial reconstruction surgery to reconstruct the tissues, blood vessels and nerves via microscopic surgical techniques. In children, craniofacial reconstruction surgery, otherwise referred to as orbital-craniofacial surgery or facial reconstruction, is often performed to repair traumatic injuries to the face resulting from accidents or child abuse. Craniofacial reconstruction in children requires special planning and techniques by the surgeon in order to allow for future growth of the child’s facial bones and skull. Often times facial reconstruction requires several procedures over a period of one to four years, and children who have experienced a serious injury as in a dog attack often suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety disorders.

The grandmother made what is referred to as a “bystander claim” for the emotional distress she suffered as a result of witnessing the dog attack her grandchild. Both the six-year-old girl and her grandmother were represented by McGee, Lerer & Associates, a personal injury law firm located in Pasadena, California. The girl’s claim settled for $287,500 and the grandmother’s claim settled for $12,500.

Attorneys Daniel McGee and Catherine Lerer are a husband and wife team that specializes in serious injury cases. After having both worked for large law firms in the past, they decided to join forces and open McGee, Lerer & Associates where they could remain small in order to provide high quality, personalized legal representation. McGee, Lerer & Associates offers clients the intimate atmosphere that large firms can’t. The firm offers free consultations and second opinions to all potential clients, even to those who have lost faith in their current law firm.  All cases at the firm are handled on a contingency fee basis, meaning you don’t pay a fee unless you win, and there are not upfront costs. To learn more about the cases the firm handles or to schedule a free consultation, please call (800) 999-9948 or visit the firm’s website online at http://www.pasadenapersonalinjurylawfirm.com/Personal-Injury/Dog-Bite.aspx.