A tragic incident unfolded last Friday in LaGrange, Georgia, where a grandmother succumbed to injuries after a brutal dog attack. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, Theresa Patterson was attacked by two large dogs around 11 a.m. while walking near the intersection of Swanson and Juniper Streets. Despite police intervention and immediate medical aid, Patterson later died at Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center.
LaGrange police had to subdue the dogs to stop the attack and neighbors reported that the attack was so fierce the officers had to shoot and kill one dog, to get it off the victim; it was also shared by WSB-TV Atlanta that another neighbor alleged he was attacked by the same dogs earlier in the week. The authorities have taken the second dog, a black Cane Corso, into custody following the incident.
The grandson of the deceased, Qua Tucker, expressed his sorrow in a statement obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta, saying, "It’s one thing when you’re on the other side of the table, but when it comes to your door, it’s different, it’s hard." He remembered Patterson as "very outspoken" and "witty," describing her as the heart of their family. While Tucker carries no hatred towards the dog owners, he believes that "The appropriate party should be held accountable, they should serve time. It’s someone’s life — my grandmother, my mother’s mother."
According to the interview with WSB-TV Atlanta, Jessie Mathews said Patterson was on her way to visit him when the dogs attacked her, lamenting, "This shouldn’t have had to happen." Tucker, sharing his thoughts on the sense of justice desired in the aftermath, told WSB-TV, "I feel like the appropriate party should be held accountable. They should serve time. It was someone’s life, my grandmother’s." Police are still investigating the case and no charges have yet been announced.
Georgia finds itself grappling with an ongoing issue of dog bites and fatalities. Data from The Zebra shows that in 2023, there were 495 dog bite claims in Georgia, amounting to about $28.5 million in payouts.
