Dog Bite Leaves Girl With Permanent Mark
A parent’s worst nightmare is seeing their child suffer an injury. This nightmare became true for Stacy and Erich Stasa in 2005 when they visited a friend’s house.
The Stasa’s daughter, Ayrika, was petting the friend’s Black Lab when it suddenly lunged at her and bit her face. She suffered a severe bite measuring almost 6 inches in length. The dog bite affected her eyelids, nose, and upper lip.
Ayrika was rushed to the emergency room by her parents where she had surgery to repair the gash on her face. Throughout the process of her wound healing, she received various treatments for the resulting scar such as massage therapy.
The plastic surgeon that performed Ayrika’s surgery informed the family that her scars were permanent and may even require future surgeries. This became a major factor in the settling of Ayrika’s case for our lawyers. We made the argument that as a young girl, Ayrika would most likely suffer from emotional distress for the rest of her life with such a large scar on her face.
We also noted that Ayrika was subject to the possibility of mental and emotional anguish from the attack. Dog bite victims often have difficulty forgetting the attack, and some even end up afraid of dogs for the rest of their lives.
All of the above reasons helped Attorney Charles Boyk settle Ayrika’s case with a demand that the insurance company pay the policy limit of $100,000. The facts of the case helped him get that amount and then some for the young girl.
Since Ayrika was a minor at the time of the attack, her award was placed into a structured settlement. This meant that she would be paid installments over the course of several years rather than a lump sum settlement. Over the life of the structured settlement, Ayrika would receive nearly $150,000 in compensation for the dog bite attack.
Attorney Boyk was satisfied with the outcome of the case and was happy to help the young girl that was involved in such an unfortunate accident. “What we did was make her adult life a little bit easier,” said Boyk.
This is just one of the many inspiring stories in Injured Times, the Charles E. Boyk Law Offices magazine. To read more stories about our past clients, or to find helpful information on personal injury cases, order your free copy of Injured Times.
