West Side Man Critically Injured in Dog Attack

 Posted on September 14, 2013 in Personal Injury

According to a report by NBC Chicago, 25-year-old Nikita Taylor is fighting for his life after being attacked by several pit bulls owned by a neighbor.

Law enforcement officials state that it is unknown exactly how many dogs Taylor was attacked by but witness statements claim that there were anywhere from three to six dogs that were involved in the attack. One witness, Jewell Edwards, told NBC Chicago that she hears the dogs outside all the time, but this time when she went outside, she saw Taylor fighting for his life. Edwards said, "I don’t know if his arm is still on. The skin pulled off the side of his face."

Some of the neighbors stated that they have never seen the dogs attack anyone before, while others state that the dogs are vicious and a concern for the neighborhood. The attack was to believed to have lasted about 20 minutes. The owner could not gain control of the dogs and witnesses to the attack tried to help Taylor. Neighbors attempted to fend off the dogs with bottles, cans, chains, and bats.

The owner of some of the dogs, Walter Fields, stated that the victim provoked the attack by kicking the fence that enclosed the dogs on his property. Fields also said that the chain fell loose when Taylor kept kicking the gate, which allowed the dogs to attack. Field was given 13 citations because of the incident. He received six for not having licenses for the dogs, four tickets for failing to restrain the dogs, and three for not having rabies shots for the dogs. Six of the dogs were impounded and a dangerous dog investigation is pending. The owner is upset that he was not able to keep the dogs. A hearing has been set for October.

If you have been attacked by a dog because of the negligence of its owner, contact an aggressive Illinois personal injury attorney today.