Sadly, Chicago Pitbull Attacks Are Common.
About once a month, the local news will cover new stories of Chicago pitbull attacks. Like most other urban areas, Chicago is densely populated with people and their pets. Unfortunately, this dense population means that dog attacks are fairly common in our Windy City. Sadly, most of the stories that we hear about in Chicago are pitbulls attacking people or other pets. While the actual attack can be sudden and vicious –the recovery can be a much more slow and painful process.
Joseph Finley, Survivor of Chicago Pitbull Attacks
No one knows the slow and painful process of recovery from dog attacks more than Joseph Finley. Last year, on January 2, 2012, 62-year-old Joseph Finley was jogging in Rainbow Beach Park along Lake Michigan. Out of nowhere, he was suddenly attacked by two large pitbulls. The dogs were ruthless in their brutal and repeated attacks. Joseph Finley later described that “those dogs are coming at me consistent, constantly; yanking and biting and tearing and pulling and gnawing at my body… like I was a hamburger.” Finley almost lost consciousness as he attempted to fight the dogs off. He would most likely have died if a heroic neighbor did not see the attack and rushed to help. The neighbor managed to beat the dogs with a baseball bat until the police arrived and fatally shot the dogs.
Slow Recovery from Chicago Pitbull Attacks.
As a result of the Chicago pitbull attacks, Finley had lost his left leg and foot. In addition, his right foot was severely damaged, he had lost a lot of blood, and he was very near death for several days in the hospital. Joseph Finley’s doctor described him as being an “incredibly strong man.” The doctor also recounted that the dogs had caused so much damage to Finley’s legs that his injuries almost looked like Finley had stepped on a landmine.
After the dog attacks, the owner of the pitbulls came forward to authorities. He was ticketed for failing to keep his dogs under control and for not having the proper city licenses for the dogs. He was ultimately fined $2,000 for the dog attacks.
Today, Joseph Finley is in slow and painful recovery from last year’s dog attacks. While the actual attacks only lasted a few minutes, he will feel the effects for the rest of his life. His recovery process is much slower and he continues to suffer from his injuries. He has a temporary prosthesis and is still in the process of relearning how to walk. Despite his injuries, Joseph Finley hopes to one day be able to run again.
Have you been injured by Chicago Pitbull Attacks? If you have been injured by a dog or any other animal, please contact experienced counsel as soon as possible to know what your legal options are.
Author Roger Rudich has been helping people win personal injury settlements for more than 30 years. He graduated in the top 10% of his class at DePaul University School of Law, then served Cook County as a public defender before taking a position as a defense attorney in the insurance industry. The experience of defending insurance companies against civil litigation has been crucial to his success representing injured parties. Having spent time on both sides of the table, Roger is able to conduct effective pretrial negotiations and outflank opposing counsel in the courtroom. This unique combination of skills has led him to a long and distinguished career, with decades of legal experience with Chicago pitbull attacks.
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