FONTANA, CALIFORNIA – A pack of five escaped dogs attacked a mother and her four children in Fontana. The dogs mauled three of the siblings. The youngest was left in critical condition. The mother had been walking with four of her six children on a path near Arrow Boulevard and Citrus Avenue shortly before the incident.
The mother and children were walking just before 5 p.m. Monday when the pack escaped from a backyard by digging a hole under the fence. Sergeant Jeff Decker of the Fontana Police Department said the pack included a pit bull terrier, a mastiff, and three other large dogs. One of the dogs pulled the youngest child, a 5-year-old girl, from her mother’s arms and shook her violently.
The child suffered broken ribs, serious bites, a punctured lung and possible other internal injuries. She is listed as in critical condition and needs a ventilator to breathe. The mother initially believed the child was so badly mauled she could be dead. The girl’s older brother was hospitalized with serious bites on his leg. Another sister was also treated for injuries to her extremities. The eldest child, an 8-year-old boy, was the only child unharmed.
Some teenagers tried to get the dogs away from the family by throwing rocks. Police contacted the owners of the dogs. They expressed concern about the incident and said the dogs had not been trained for any type of activity or sport. Police chased down the dogs. The pit bull terrier was shot and the others were impounded at the San Bernardino County Animal Shelter.
Our hearts go out to this family. This was a devastating accident. We hope that each of the injured children will make a full recovery. Each and every pet owner must make sure their pets are properly trained and contained so that tragic accidents like this are avoided.
Berman & Riedel, LLP is a personal injury law firm in San Diego, California. If you have been injured in any sort of accident caused by the reckless or negligent actions of a third party, you may wish to speak with a personal injury lawyer. You can learn more about personal injury law at www.bermanlawyers.com. You may also contact the firm to set up a case consultation free of charge.
