Case study of a successful police dog injury claim made by a football fan
Mr A, an avid football fan, was hoping to spend his weekend safely watching a match with some friends before returning to a hectic week of work. Unfortunately, what should have been a fun time turned into a traumatic event for our client.
The football match had been enjoyable, and afterwards, Mr A and a friend decided to grab a drink in a nearby pub before catching the train home.
Many other fans had the same idea and the pub quickly become crowded with supporters from both teams. Many of the fans were inebriated and became increasingly rowdy and aggressive. As a result, the police barricaded the entrance to the pub.
When attempting to find a safe exit, Mr A found himself being pushed towards the front of a crowd. Despite his best efforts, he was ultimately pushed out of the pub doors, and towards a group of police officers, including a police dog handler.
This coincided with the police dog handler, in an attempt to control the crowd, deciding to deploy his dog. The police dog clamped its teeth down on to Mr A’s arm, leaving two large puncture wounds.
Mr A was left with scarring, as well as suffering psychological harm. This resulted in him displaying wariness and phobic-type symptoms in relation to dogs.
Mr A decided to turn to our specialist team of dog bite lawyers for help. We are experienced in dealing with police dog injury claims and you can read about some of our successes HERE and HERE. We also have specific experience of recovering compensation for football fans who have been bitten by police dogs and you can read about one of those cases HERE.
Specialist personal injury lawyer, Carly Sylvester, offered to help Mr A claim compensation for his injuries, working on a No Win, No Fee basis.
Upon receipt of our formal letter of claim, the police denied liability, asserting their decision to deploy the police dog was lawful. Carly nevertheless continued to push ahead with the case and was able to achieve a successful outcome for Mr A when an out of court settlement was reached, resulting in him receiving compensation of £6,500.