Justice has been finally been served for a family grieving the loss of their 4-year-old daughter. The little girl died last year after a savage pit bull attack while at the home of a babysitter. At the time of the attack, the girl, her brother and the sitter’s son were playing outside. The sitter herself was inside doing laundry.
Leaving the children unsupervised was her first mistake. The state also successfully argued that the woman knew her dog had a history of vicious behavior. In spite of the defense’s $18,000 testimony from a canine expert, the jury found the babysitter guilty of felony child endangerment resulting in death, felony neglect and abandonment of a child, and two misdemeanor counts.
The sitter will serve no more than ten years in prison, with many of her sentences serving concurrently. Addressing the jury and the victim’s mother for the first time, the sitter tearfully apologized for the incident.
Throughout the trial, the defense tried to argue that the pit bull was “just playing” when he showed vicious or violent behavior in the past. This is a common refrain echoed frequently by pit bull and rottweiler owners. Those two breeds are responsible for more than two thirds of dog bites in the United States each year.
Though nothing will make up for the loss of their young daughter, her parents can rest assured that this woman will pay for her negligence. She’ll also be unable to subject other people’s children to the dangerous animal she called a family pet.
Virginia Dog Bite Lawyer
A dog bite is a devastating experience, especially when the victim is a small child. Victims of dog attacks face serious physical injuries, permanent scarring, and emotional trauma. So if you were attacked or bitten by someone else’s dog you are probably trying to figure out what to do next. Contact Virginia dog bite lawyer Richard Serpe to discuss your legal options.
