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An 11-year-old from Goose Creek is recovering after a pit bull rips open his arm. Austin Ramsey says he almost lost that arm to the dog, but his parents say it could have ended much worse.
The family says they’re worried such a vicious attack happened in their neighborhood.
Today he’s playing ball with friends, but just a few weeks ago Austin Ramsey says he got the scare for of his life after a dangerous dog encounter in the Goose Creek neighborhood, Greenview.
“There was a blood trail from where I was attacked, all the way down to my house,” said Austin Ramsey.
Austin says he and friend Travis chased Travis’ dog into a neighbor’s yard when they saw the pit bull.
“It didn’t really growl or anything. It just came toward him and bit his knee,” said Travis Sheheane.
Austin says he was shocked, frightened, terrified.
Austin says the pit bull was coming toward him until he was backed up against a wall. He says the dog then bit him on the knee, lunged toward his neck, but quickly he threw up his arm to protect himself.
“I put my arm up. I was thinking, what’s this dog going to do next,” said Austin.
“I didn’t know how bad it was. I didn’t want to look. I just saw a piece of his arm, and it was too much for me,” said Austin’s mother Kim Ramsey.
Austin’s mom rushed him to the ER, where he got ten stitches and a bandage on his wound.
“It was very scary. I might not have my child today,” said Kim.
Austin’s parents say the pit bull was in a yard with an electric fence. They say they haven’t heard from the dog’s owner.
“That’s what is so upsetting. The owner hasn’t even attempted to check on my son,” said Kim.
A son hoping for things to get back to normal soon. A neighborhood with kids, where a pit bull attacked.
The health department says they put the dog in quarantine for ten days for observation, but it has since been released to back to the owners.
The Ramseys say they aren’t sure if they’ll sue the dog’s owner.
Ramseys, I feel a lump in my throat and a knot in my stomach reading your account. My son at 5 yrs old was mauled by our neighbor’s nice Pitt devil. The dog was 1 yr old, never teased, treated well, with no other dog to have a ‘pack mentality’ with- in other words, none of the usual excuses for these devils.
Please don’t miss an opportunity to help others. You NEED to file a claim with your neighbor’s homeowners’ insurance company. Not just for the medical expenses- those should without question be covered. But for damages, future suffering, etc. As with many things, if insurance companies pay out enough in damages, there may be more legislative action taken eventually. Or it will be too expensive to own them due to cost of homeowners ins. for their owners. Also a good outcome.
We did not have to sue, but were very clear with their insurance adjuster that we were VERY ready and determined to if necessary. Many of our neighbors were ready to testify also, if it came to that. We had photos of my son’s bloody injuries, and of the stitching in the hospital.
Anyway, the ins co. besides covering completely his medical, paid my son $25,000 and my daughter $5,00 (for witnessing the attack) without having to sue.
I used to be in medicine and I can tell you INSURANCE co’s and LAWSUITS (or the threat of) control much of the medical profession. Of course that’s good AND bad. But in this case, USE IT to your advantage and that of every other potential victim of these canine “loaded guns”