Protecting Individuals.
Prioritizing Recovery.

2017 fatal dog bite data even worse than 2016

On Behalf of | Mar 9, 2018 | Animal Bites

A couple of months ago, we wrote a post about the number of fatal dog bite incidents that occurred in the United States in 2016. In that post, we remarked about the incredible prevalence of pit bulls in these fatalities, as 71 percent of the dog bite fatalities that happened in 2016 involved pit bulls. Well, the 2017 numbers are in, and they aren’t any better.

According to data gathered by DogBites.org, 39 people died due to dog bites in the United States last year. The 2017 data is a steep increase over 2016, and the number of pit bulls that were involved in fatal dog bite incidents last year was 74 percent — also more than in 2016.

There have now been 433 people that died in the U.S. due to dog bites, and of those fatal incidents, 66 percent of them involved pit bulls. These figures are so sad for two reasons. One, dog attacks are increasing and that means overall safety is on the decline in relation to dogs. But two, the problem with pit bulls continues to linger.

As always in these case,s it comes back to the owner and the way they trained and raised their dog. Additionally, they are liable per California state laws when their dog attacks another person, whether the incident is fatal or not. The victims of any dog attacks need to carefully and closely consider their legal options and their rights.

Source: DogBites.org, “2017 dog bite fatalities,” Accessed March 9, 2018

Archives

RSS Feed