The Pit Bull and the Service Man
Posted by
Susy OwenDecember 08, 2007 12:28 PMWhen Scott Saterbo heard screams coming from his neighbor's yard, he ran to assist Greg Young who was being viciously attacked by a large pit bull. Saterbo beat the pit bull off Young with a shovel and is sure that if he had not done so, Young would not have lived. How brave is the 19 year-old Saterbo.
Young, who works for Suburban Propane, was on a service call at the house. By the time Saterbo got to him Young was bleeding profusely. Satebo could actually see the bone in Young's leg. Young, who was also bitten in the face, was dragged out of the yard by Saterbo and rushed to the hospital where he underwent surgery in an attempt to repair the extensive damage to his body. In the meantime the pit bull was impounded.
Leon County Emergency Medical Services and Animal Control statistics show dog bites have increased quite a bit in the last two years. According to Mac Kemp, deputy chief of operations at EMS, "...the breeds weren't always specified, but the most common were pit bulls. A couple were Rottweilers and beagles." As Kemp put it "You just don't know what a dog will do."
In this situation the pit bull has been quarantined and is scheduled to be put down. Although, pet owners have the opportunity to contest a decision to put a dog down, they have not received a stay order from the court in this case, to date. The owner will not be charged criminally since his dog was on his property. That's not to say that Young will not seek damages in civil court.
Dog bite prevention week
For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Premises Liability.