Man Awarded $7.25 Million For Injuries Sustained In Pit Bull Attack

On June 10, a judge in Jackson County, Missouri awarded $7.25 million to Alan Hill for the severe personal injuries he sustained in a May 4, 2006 attack by a group of pit bulls.

The attacks on Hill and two others led to an outcry for tougher laws on dangerous dogs in the area.

According to Circuit Judge Vernon Scoville’s ruling, several defendants should have been aware of the “vicious propensities and tendency to injure persons” of the dogs.

Brittnee Ann Wisdom and James Knowles, the owners of the property the pit bulls escaped from, and Wisdom’s mother, Nancy Wisdom were named as defendants. The suit also named Paul Piper, the dogs’ owner, and Bryan Smith, a handyman previously convicted of criminal charges in the case, as third-party defendants.

In addition to the award given to Hill, Hill’s wife was also awarded $300,000 by the judge.

The injuries Hill sustained in the attack nearly took his life. He was required to spend more than a month in a hospital on a feeding tube.

According to Scoville’s ruling, permanent disfiguring and disabling personal injuries were caused by the attack, including complex facial lacerations, extensive upper and lower extremity lacerations, and multisystem organ failure.

The medical bills of Hill were listed as being in excess of $500,000 and his loss of direct and future income was listed as being in excess of $1 million.