Each day throughout the Pittsburgh area individuals are injured through no fault of their own. While we often cover car accidents in this blog, there are of course other ways in which people can be hurt. Sometimes the injuries are suffered as a result of animal bites. Dogs are the animal most often involved and the extent of injuries varies widely depending on the circumstances.

Recently what can likely be considered a more extreme incident occurred in another state. A 10-year-old boy, along with some of his friends, was playing with a dog that was not his. After riling the pit bull up, all calmed down, and the boy sat down. At this point the boy and the dog appear to have gotten into a staring contest which ended when the dog attacked the boy, biting off his nose.

When the nose could not be found, it was determined that the dog must have swallowed it. The dog had in fact swallowed the nose which was found in the animal's stomach. Once it was recovered, doctors managed to reattach it to the boys face. The boy is reportedly doing well.

As a result of the incident the dog was euthanized. Its owner claimed that it had never been aggressive.

While the owner of the dog is likely upset about the loss of a pet it is highly likely that things will become more stressful. While it is not clear if criminal charges will be forthcoming, in situations such as this one personal injury lawsuits are often filed to try to obtain monetary damages. Because the recovery from such a serious injury can be long and result in many medical bills, such compensation can be necessary to help cover expenses.

Source: Evansville Courier & Press, "Henderson boy treated after dog bites off, swallows his nose," Jan. 10, 2013

• We handle personal injury cases including those related to animal bite. If you would like to learn more about our practice, please visit our Butler County personal injury page.