At Spencer Calahan Injury Lawyers, we wish we could take on nearly every case that comes our way. We love our line of work, and we want to help everyone who needs us. Even when we cannot represent someone, we always do our best to refer them to another attorney who may be better suited for their particular situation. However, there are still some cases that we find so compelling, we simply cannot turn down the opportunity to help.
Dog bites or attacks are a very good example, because insurance often is not available, or does not apply (making recovery difficult, if not impossible). Recently, we received a call at our office regarding a gruesome dog attack. A woman and her autistic/special-needs son witnessed a neighbor’s pit bull mix viciously attack the boy’s emotional assist/companion animal, Bear, IN THEIR OWN YARD. The attack left Bear practically torn in half, clinging to life. Bear was rushed to a local veterinarian who performed an emergency surgery. After much anguish, pain, and emotional upheaval, Bear passed away one week after the unprovoked attack.
These are the cases that pull at our emotional heart strings, but for a number of reasons, many lawyers are reluctant to take. Louisiana is a “strict liability” state, meaning that the owner of the attacking dog is responsible for damages, regardless of the owner’s knowledge of the dog’s dangerous nature. However, in Louisiana, dogs are considered property, so Bear’s owner can only recover the value of the dog and related veterinary expenses.
In order to do our due diligence, we initially researched the case to unearth all of the relevant details. One of the first steps was to contact the owner of the attacking dog to identify any relevant insurance information to help Bear’s owners with the overwhelming veterinary bills. When we made contact with this individual, his response was shockingly uncooperative. He was so disrespectful to both the attorney and the family who had witnessed their beloved companion being viciously attacked that it is difficult to describe in words. Attached is the conversation between our attorney and the dog’s owner. CAUTION: ADULT LANGUAGE NOT SUITABLE FOR MINORS
**WARNING: ADULT LANGUAGE — NOT SUITABLE FOR MINORS**
CLICK BELOW FOR AUDIO COPY OF PHONE CONVERSATION
We love our work, and perhaps the most satisfying part of what we do is helping victims stand up against bullies. Most often, this bully comes in the form of an insurance company. However, there are times when we encounter someone like this gentleman, who motivates us to go the extra mile to help those that have been bullied. We look forward to helping this family and teaching this bully a valuable lesson.
