Raceland woman sues over alleged pit bull attack
A Raceland woman is suing two dog owners after she said she was bitten and attacked by their pit bull in February.
Attorney Randal Gaines of LaPlace filed a lawsuit in Lafourche Parish district court on March 21 on behalf of his 73-year-old client, Olivia Brown of Raceland.
The suit names Ronald Danos, Cassandra Rodrigue and their insurance company as defendants and seeks unspecified damages.
According to the complaint, Brown was walking from her home on Market Street in Raceland on Feb. 23 when a pit bull at the home of Danos broke its chain and attacked her.
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The animal “broke a lightweight chain that was of insufficient strength to properly restrain the pit bull, and charged and viciously attacked petitioner, knocking her to the ground, barking and growling while viciously biting petitioner on her left hand and other parts of her body,” the lawsuit says.
Brown said the yard in which the dog was being kept had no fencing around it and the chain wasn’t strong enough to restrain the animal.
“The pit bull easily broke the chain that was attached to his dog collar and charged and attacked petitioner,” her lawsuit says. “This vicious dog attack caused petitioner to sustain serious bodily injuries.”
"It wasn't a heavy chain," Gaines said on Friday. "I'm not sure how sturdy or old it was or in what condition it was in, but obviously it wasn't sufficient to hold the dog because it broke the chain and came onto the road where she was walking and attacked her."
As a result of the dog attack, the victim suffered several injuries including loss of enjoyment of life, inconvenience, fear and fright, diminished lifestyle, medical expenses, mental stress and anguish, post-traumatic stress, serious deep lacerations and structural damage to her left hand from being mauled and bitten numerous times by the pit bull dog, Gaines said.
"She had to have reconstructive surgery on her hand," Gaines said. "You can't imagine the amount of fear she was in. It was unbelievable for her because she really feared for her life. She really thought it was going to be a fatal attack and that she was going to die."
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The lawsuit accuses the defendants of failing to adequately and properly restrain the dog, failing to take adequate precautions and steps to protect neighbors from the animal, negligence, failing to properly train or monitor the dog to prevent attacks and failing to install proper fencing or enclosures to protect passersby.
The case has been assigned to state District Judge F. Hugh Larose of Thibodaux.
— Staff Writer Dan Copp can be reached at 448-7639 or at dan.copp@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanVCopp.
This article originally appeared on The Courier: Raceland woman sues over alleged pit bull attack
