A pit bull mauled Katie Weeks’ 5-year-old daughter, Saleena Wickward in Hurricane, Utah on Monday, April 19, 2010. This Utah dog bite happened at around 5:30 according to reports given by KSL news. Weeks says her daughter wandered to the next yard over to catch a caterpillar. The dog owner says that Saleena was throwing rocks at the dog when it lunged at her face. The dog was on a chain but it grabbed her and would not let go. The owner had to pry the jaws off of Saleena’s head while neighbors called 911. Saleena’s mom got a towel and pushed the skin against Saleena’s face until paramedics arrived.
Saleena was taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center where she needed nearly 900 stitches to close up major lacerations on her face. Stitches go from the middle of her lip, to her nose and cheek then around to her ear. The young girl is now recovering from six and a half hours of major reconstructive surgery. Two plastic surgeons helped to insert a plate and screw to stabilize her fractured cheek. Her once innocent five-year-old face is now covered with stitches and staples. “I was so afraid to walk into that room and see my little girl, because I just thought she would never look the same again,” Weeks says.
Video Courtesy of KSL.com
Now doctors wait to see if there’s any nerve damage and family members continue to pray and hope for the very best for young Saleena.
My heart goes out for Saleena and her family. I offer them my thoughts and my prayers and I wish her a speedy recovery. The picture on KSL shows the horrible damage this pit bull caused.
Utah law states that dog owners are “strictly liable” for the injuries caused by their dog. I suspect hospital bills for a surgery this extensive will be tens of thousands of dollars and future treatment and therapy will be expensive as well. An experienced Utah dog bite attorney will help this family receive fair compensation from the home owner’s insurance of the dog’s owner. I would suspect given the nature of this injury, that this claim will exhaust the policy limits on the home owner’s insurance. There may, however, be an “umbrella” policy that would provide additional information. Given the possible inadequacy of the policy, I would also recommend that reductions be worked out with the medical provides who treated her in light of future medical expenses that may be likely in this case.