As a follow up to the blog that I posted February 13, 2014 titled Owners’ Responsibility to keep their Animals on their own Premises to avoid Injuries and Deaths in Georgia , a young girl of age 9, Emma Carolina Johnson, was kicked in the head in Cherokee County Georgia by a mule who had escaped into a neighbor’s pasture where Emma was innocently carrying a bucket of feed. She was kicked in the head and knocked unconscious by said mule.
Fortunately, Emma is a strong little girl and is recovering. Unfortunately, her recovery is long, and the Cherokee County Marshall’s Office stated that, although the owners of the mules fence was washed away due to rain, that the owners would not be held criminally liable in the incident since there was no negligence on the part of the owners.
I understand that the Cherokee County Marshall can make a decision not to hold the owners of the mules criminally liable. The Cherokee County Marshall, however, does not decide whether or not the owners of the mules should be held liable in a civil action for negligence under Georgia Law as I have described in my last blog. This is the very type of situation where it is imperative that owners of any kind of animal whether it be livestock, domestic animals whether such animals do or don’t have a vicious propensity, keep their animals on the owners or keepers own property for the safety of others as well as the animals.
As discussed in my last blog post, a woman was killed on her wedding day due to a stray dog in the roadway, and in this story in this blog post, a young girl is suffering from a head injury with a long road to recovery from a mule that escaped from the owner’s property by a broken fence. Both cases are arguably due to the potential negligence of the owner’s of the animals, and both cases could have been avoided saving a life in one case, and avoiding a devastating injury in the other case.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed by the negligent acts of another by the owner or keeper of the animal ranging or roaming free, then we are very sorry, and please kindly Contact Us as soon as this incident occurs for your free legal consultation as we are experts in representing people who have been injured or killed in these types of situations. You may contact us by any or all of the following means by phone at (770) 865-8654 and (813) 363-6664, by email at juliericelaw@outlook.com, and Contact Us on our website.
These are senseless tragedies and even though owners or keepers of these animals may not be held criminally liable, you may still have a valid civil cause of action under Georgia Law to recover your damages including, but not limited to, medical bills, lost wages, disability, loss of enjoyment of life prior to the incident, loss of consortium, and pain and suffering. We are here to help you and we encourage you to Contact Us if you or a loved one are injured or killed in this manner. We are very compassionate and you and your safety, and the safety of your loved ones, are our first priority.