Los Angeles (KNX) - A jury has found the city of Los Angeles liable for gross negligence in a case that awarded $6.8 million to an animal shelter volunteer who nearly lost her arm in a dog attack.
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The incident, which occurred in Fall 2019 at the Los Angeles Animal Services facility in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood, involved Kelly Kaneko and a 100-pound German Shepherd named Jaxx.
Kelly tells KNX reporter Emily Valdez she was transferring Jaxx from a visit with prospective adopters back to his kennel cage when "[The dog] latched on my arm and wouldn't let go. And so I started screaming for help."
She began to worry no one was coming and feared the dog would either rip her arm off or she would bleed to death.
After about five minutes of struggling, Kelly was able to drag herself and Jaxx to a door and get help.
Attorneys representing Kelly say staff at the shelter knew the Jaxx was aggressive but failed to put the required warning on the dog's cage.
Kelly was in the ICU for over a month and received multiple surgeries that ultimately saved her arm, but she is left disfigured and traumatized.
Four of the nearly $7M was awarded for future medical expenses, and despite the trauma, Kelly says, "One great thing about this is that, you know, my fellow volunteers because of all of this, that they will be safer."
According to the L.A Times, Jaxx was euthanized months after the attack.
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