Dog Attack Case- €65,000 settlement

A seven year old boy who was shaken about like a ‘rag doll’ as a dog attempted to pull him into a garden in what his mother described as a ‘scene from Jaws’ settled his High Court personal injury case for €65,000.

Adam Tiernan, who is now aged 12, sustained horrific injuries after the dog latched onto his arm as he tried to retrieve a tennis ball from his neighbours garden. The Japanese Akita dog had to be beaten off the boy with a hurley and a golf club. The boy had to undergo a three hour operation to repair muscle in his arm and received 120 stitches. The boy was left with permanent scarring on his arm.

Counsel for the Plaintiff said there was a failure to give the boy any adequate warning of the fact there was danger in the area. There were no warning signs to identify the danger. It was further stated the defendant failed to properly control a dog kept on his premises.

The matter was before Mr. Justice Kevin cross for ruling. Mr. Justice Cross stated the boy had suffered an horrific attack and directed that €2000 of the settlement be allocated to funding a new computer and a holiday for the boy ‘to help him get over all this’.