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Family of toddler mauled by dog wins compensation |
Traumatised family watched as their two-year-old son was attackedThe parents of a boy who was savaged by a dog in a hotel beer garden in Cumbria have won a compensation case against the hotel in which they were awarded £25,000. 2-year-old Zion Kasaija was mauled by a bull mastiff at the Stanley Arms Hotel in Calderbridge whilst on holiday, while three adults struggled to release him; his parents feared the injuries could have been fatal. “The whole thing has been traumatic for our family,” said Zion’s father, William. He described how his wife had looked on from a window as her son was attacked, “frozen with horror,” (The Cumberland News, 2009). The toddler suffered five minutes of terror when the 160lb bull mastiff launched on him, while Mr Kasaija was bitten on the head as he fought to free his son. Reconstructive surgeryThe injuries to Zion’s face were so severe that his parents were considering reconstructive surgery of £30,000. Damages for Zion’s injuries are yet to be decided, following a further assessment in a year’s time. The successful case awarded £14,500 compensation to Mr Kasaija for his injuries, and £10,500 to Mrs Kasaija, who watched the terrifying event from the bedroom window with Zion’s brother, 9-year-old Gideon. The payout was delivered by insurers of the pub’s former owner. Dog had bitten childrenThe court heard that the dog in question had already bitten three people in the past, including a 10-year-old and a Girl Guide who was delivering leaflets. The owner of the dog has been banned for eight years from keeping a dog, and has now sold the pub business on. Mr Kasaija explained that their sons had developed a phobia of dogs which meant they were often too scared to play outside. The couple, from the Wirral, expects they will have to undergo therapy for the stress, anxiety and depression caused by the traumatic incident.  
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