What people write to Attorney Phillips...
My daughter was bitten in September 2008 at a family gathering. I remember very distinctly having to keep the sutures moist to prevent scabbing, the emotional turmoil of feeling so guilty for not somehow seeing the future to prevent my child from getting hurt, and the agony of feeling torn about what to do to ensure this would have the best possible outcome for my daughter's future. I am a single mom, and had to hide my tears until she went to bed, when I would lose all emotional composure from the feelings this accident induced. I spent hours researching dog bite cases, how insurance agencies handled settlements, and had no one here on those lonely nights to ask what to do, what the best option was, and felt like the biggest decision of my child's life rested on me doing the right thing not only by her, but by the family. I know how exhausting that is.
Dog Bite Law Blog
Chained Dog Kills Toddler In One Bite State - Prosecution Called For
On April 28, 2008, Abraham Jonathan Tackett, a 23-month-old boy, wandered into a nearby "dog lot" when his father left him alone. A Husky on a chain killed the child in short order. The accident happened in Fort Yukon, Alaska. This is a one bite state.
The boy's death should result in criminal prosecutions against his father and the landlord of the "dog lot." I base this upon the following article in the Anchorage Daily News:
"The boy wandered into a neighbor's back yard about 50 yards away, where there were a number of dogs - all chained - that had recently been fed and were still eating...." There was no fence around the chained, eating dogs.
"...they always kept their dogs chained..." according to the boy's grandmother. Why were they chained? It is now abundantly clear that chaining or tethering dogs makes them vicious toward humans (click here to read more about the danger of chaining).
"The child approached a 3-year-old husky mixed breed and the dog attacked, apparently protecting its food...." Was the child trying to eat the food? I doubt it.
"He was actually a pretty friendly dog," the police are saying. "As of right now, we're calling it an accidental death."
But it wasn't an accident. The boy's father left him alone in an area adjacent to an unfenced lot containing a pack of chained dogs that were eating. That was reckless on the part of the father. The dogs were chained and unfenced. That was reckless on the part of the dog owner and landlord.
The death of Abraham Jonathan Tackett can be viewed as either a negligent homicide or a reckless homicide. The latter is frequently referred to as second degree murder. It resulted from child endangerment and from either unreasonable or conscious disregard for the safety of human beings. Let's see what the prosecutors decide to do with this.