South Carolina Woman Who Lost Both Arms in 'Horrifying' Dog Attack Files Lawsuit Against County
A South Carolina woman who was viciously attacked by a pack of dogs two years ago has filed a lawsuit against Abbeville County in the Court of Common Pleas. The dog attack left the woman with life-threatening injuries. Although she survived the attack, she lost both arms and suffered other permanent injuries.
On March 21, 2022, Kyleen Waltman was walking home in Abbeville County when she was attacked by three vicious dogs. A bystander saw the attack unfold and dialed 911. When authorities arrived, Waltman had visible lacerations around her neck and her right arm tricep was missing. In her lawsuit, Waltman brings forward alarming details about the previous history of the vicious dogs and the county's lack of response to their viciousness.
Waltman’s lawsuit accuses the county of gross negligence. In a statement shared by her legal team, her attorneys say the county is liable due to its "handling of previous complaints about the aggressive and dangerous behavior of the dogs involved in the attack." Her attorney’s statement continues, "Kyleen Waltman and her family are enduring unimaginable pain and suffering as a result of this attack, and they deserve justice."
South Carolina once followed the “one bite rule” but has since switched over to a strict liability state. As such, a dog owner can be held liable for damages caused if their dog bites someone, regardless of whether or not the owner did anything wrong.
Under the one-bite rule, a dog owner may avoid liability if it is the first time their dog bites someone. However, this rule does not give automatic immunity to a dog owner but is generally applied on a case-by-case basis. Factors that go into the one-bite rule include a dog’s propensity to harm and the owner's knowledge of this propensity.
The owner of the three dogs that attacked Waltman was eventually arrested and charged with a number of misdemeanors, including ownership of dangerous animals and letting the animals roam freely on the premises. Waltman’s lawsuit argues that the county bears responsibility for the attack as well.
Her attorneys describe a previous incident in which a man was attacked by the same dogs on December 25, 2021. In that attack, the dogs bit the man's leg "just three short months prior to the attack on Kyleen Waltman.”
The man received treatment at a hospital and both he and officials at the hospital reported the attack to Abbeville County Animal Services. Despite its reporting, “Abbeville County Animal Services failed to do an adequate investigation into the vicious dogs, failed to remove the dogs from the property to protect the public, and then the plaintiff was attacked at the same location three months later," Waltman’s attorneys say.
The dogs who attacked Waltman were put down immediately following the attack. Waltman is seeking unspecified damages in her lawsuit.
