Reference no: EM133809750

Question 

Bella Young, a 30-year-old accountant employed by the American Red Cross, visited our office seeking damages for a dog bite incident that occurred on August 21, 2023. Mrs. Young currently resides at 3792 Penny Lane, Macon, GA 31201. Prior to the incident, Mrs. Young worked 40 hours a week and had no history of any medical problems.

On August 21, 2023, Mrs. Young, her husband, Tim Young, and their two minor children were traveling to Savannah, Georgia to visit her mother. During their trip, they made the decision to refuel at the Buc-ee's gas station, which is located at 7001 Russell Parkway, Fort Valley, Georgia 31030. When they arrived at Buc-ee's, Mrs. Young got out of the car to fill up the gas tank, while her husband and children remained in the car. While pumping gas, two large, aggressive dogs - which Mrs. Young believes to be mastiffs - jumped out of the truck parked next to them at the gas pump and attacked her. Her husband and another witness, David Carline, intervened, but the dogs continued to attack Mrs. Young while her minor children watched. A bystander, Katie Lundy, also witnessed the entire incident. The owner of the dogs, David Smith, then exited his vehicle and eventually got the dogs off Mrs. Young. Mr. Smith is a truck driver from Florida, and he had the dogs with him in the cab of his delivery truck prior to the incident.

Following the attack, emergency services were called, and Mrs. Young was transported by ambulance to the emergency room at Macon Community Hospital due to the severity of her injuries. She sustained severe dog bites to her stomach, leg, arm, and hand. She was treated in the emergency room with procedures to her thigh and stomach area, but the injuries to the hand, wrist, and arm required surgical treatment to repair the nerves. These procedures and the surgery were performed by Dr. Shayla Biggs. Mrs. Young was discharged from the hospital 10 days later, and she began wearing compression garments and attending physical therapy immediately following her release. Six weeks later, Dr. Biggs performed reconstructive surgery on Mrs. Young's arm, wrist, and hand. Mrs. Young currently attends physical therapy twice a week, but she has been unable to return to work due to the continued pain from these injuries. She has difficulty typing, writing, and sitting for long periods of time, all of which are required in her occupation.

While Mrs. Young is the only individual that received physical injuries from this incident, she is not the only one affected by it. Her two minor children witnessed the entire incident, and they currently see a counselor to address the trauma from said incident. Mrs. Young's marriage has also been affected by this incident. She is still unable to work due to the severity of her injuries, which has caused financial strain in her marriage. She has also incurred, and continues to incur, thousands of dollars in medical expenses, due to her own injuries and her children's counseling.

Mrs. Young is seeking damages for past and future lost wages, medical expenses, and ongoing costs related to long-term treatment and rehabilitation. She believes herself, her husband, and her children should be justly compensated for the harm this incident has caused and continues to cause.