A father took his four-year-old son to visit his great uncle's house in preparation for a family outing to a San Francisco 49ers training camp session. The young boy sat alongside his uncle's large English bulldog to pet it. Suddenly, the dog lunged at the child, sinking his fangs into the boy's face. Blood poured down from the deep gash on the child's face as his father rushed him to the nearest emergency room.
Surgeons repaired the substantial cuts and avulsions around the boy's eye. The boy's severe damage resulted in a large scar on his face. To pursue compensation for the medical costs and irreversible damage, the boy's parents consulted with David Scopp from Harris Personal Injury Lawyers. Upon voicing their concerns about how a lawsuit might affect their relationship with the uncle, David reassured the family of a trouble-free process and agreed to help. When David committed to representing the family, the Defense increased their initial settlement offer of $10,000 to $125,000.
David rejected the offer, stating that the proposed amount was insufficient considering the boy's permanent scars and distorted facial features. In addition, he argued that the child's appearance would influence crucial life experiences, such as future relationships and everyday photos. Preparing for mediation, David hired a cosmetic surgeon who confirmed the boy's distorted facial features were due to the dog's teeth severing nerves connected to his facial muscles. However, without visual evidence of the attack, David had no way to convey how traumatic the experience was. Therefore, David brought on DK Global to work with him and his expert to reconstruct the dog attack and create an age-progression animation to demonstrate the long-term effects this scarring would have on the child throughout his life.
The animation began with the boy cheerfully sitting next to the English bulldog. Suddenly, without warning, the dog aggressively lunged at him. The animal's fangs sunk deep into the boy's face, causing lacerations on his nose, jaw, tongue, and cheek. After the attack, an overview of the boy's injuries was highlighted. His right mandibular nerve damage — which caused an asymmetrical smile — and large lacerations on his tongue and under his eyelid were showcased. Finally, the animation demonstrated a time-lapse of the boy aging, visualizing the development of the scars as the boy grew older and older.
David presented a demand package to the Defendant's insurance provider during mediation alongside his expert testimony and the animation created by DK Global. After the Defense watched the gruesome incident alongside the boy's severe injuries, they offered to settle the case for $725,000.
David Scopp, a seasoned attorney at Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, has advocated for survivors of traumatic injury for over 14 years. Leveraging his prior experience as a Defense attorney for insurance firms, David expertly secures fair compensation and justice for his well-deserving clients. He was acknowledged as a "Rising Star" by Super Lawyers in 2015 and 2016 and upholds an outstanding rating on Avvo. Recently, David achieved a unanimous appellate triumph, securing a $1.5 million settlement for a young girl who tragically lost her mother as a result of a city's negligence.
