Youngster Left Needing Surgery After Incident

A six-year-old girl is in a stable condition in hospital after suffering serious facial injuries in a dog attack at a recreation ground in Twickenham.

The unnamed youngster has had surgery following the incident on Thursday afternoon (October 13th), in which she lost teeth and was left with cuts to her lip.

It is believed that a Staffordshire bull terrier-type dog was involved in the incident and police officers are reportedly searching for a man who is thought to be the owner of the animal.

Irwin Mitchell’s specialist public liability team act for a number of people who have suffered serious injuries as a result of dog bites.

Katrina Elsey, a legal representative at the national law firm’s Sheffield office who specialises in cases related to dog attacks, said: “There have been a worrying number of dog attacks reported in the media over the past 12 months, which raise serious concerns that safety in relation to dog attacks is simply not improving.

“We have regularly campaigned for an improvement in safety standards, particularly in relation to the controls and regulations in relation to the handling of dangerous dogs.

“Both compulsory insurance and the reintroduction of dog licences could play a key role in ensuring that both animals and their owners can be quickly and easily identified, which in turn will make it easier for those who have suffered injuries through no fault of their own to seek justice.

“Cases like this, which often leave children with both physical and psychological problems, need to become a thing of the past and we hope lessons can be learnt from this.”