On the evening of Feb. 12, four separate
dog attacks by a pair of unsupervised pit bulls in the Lakeview area of Long Island
left three women and a 16-year-old boy wounded. The dangerous animals
were first encountered near the intersection of Parkside Road and Ceder
Road by the teen, who sustained bite wounds to his left arm. Only 10 minutes
later, the pair attacked a 54-year-old woman pedestrian on Pinebrook Avenue;
she too sustained injuries to her left arm.
Two other attacks occurred as well, also 10 minutes apart. A 24-year-old
woman was bitten on her arm and leg, and the fourth victim, a 29-year-old
woman, reported that the dogs attacked her as she exited her car, gnawing
on her jacket initially before biting her thigh, knocking her down and
attacking her thighs, arms and head. A neighbor came to her aid after
she began honking her horn and screaming.
Local authorities have yet to locate the wanted canines, and Hempstead's
animal control officers initiated a grid search for the pit bulls. Witness
reports indicate that one dog is black while the other is brown. A spokeswoman
for Hempstead Animal Control expressed hope that the dogs had returned
home and speculated that the owners were likely unaware of the string
of attacks.
Dog owners bear the brunt of responsibility in incidents such as these
where potentially aggressive animals escape or are otherwise allowed to
wander free in their neighborhood, posing a risk to neighbors and pedestrians
in particular who may encounter them. If the dogs' owners are located,
the victims may be able to hold them liable for the injuries they sustained
in a civil court with the help of an experienced personal injury lawyer.