Attack of the Renegade Seagull
Attack of the Renegade Seagull
Being physically attacked is never a laughing matter. In most cases, when someone has caused an injury to another person, they are going to go to the police, and they will often sue the other party to make sure that justice has been served. However, what are you supposed to do when the attacker in the case is not a human, but rather a seagull. In 2014, a woman named Cathie Kelly was faced with this very predicament.
She was leaving her office and said that one of the seagulls that had been plaguing her office parking lot attacked her. She claimed that the seagull came directly toward her face with its wings outstretched and it was moving as fast as it could go. This attack caused her to fall and to injure herself.
Suing the Landlords
Naturally, she couldn’t sue the bird. However, what she could do was file a lawsuit against the landlords for the building where she worked. She sued them for approximately $9,000, claiming that it was the responsibility of the landlords to provide a solution to the gulls. She said that the gulls had been problematic, and that they had become aggressive when they had chicks.
Kelly was not the only person who had trouble with the gulls at the building. The manager of the company in the building, Ann Walsh, said that she was a victim, as well. She said that she was also attacked, and that the bird had actually defecated on her.
What Happened in the Case?
It seemed like there was a possibility that the case could go forward – after all, landlords are typically responsible for the safety of the property. However, in this case, the judge ended up dismissing the case. The reason for that was because there was no way to determine if the offending and attacking gull had actually come from the roof of the office building where the victim worked. They could have come from another building or another location entirely. Without being certain that it was one of the gulls for which the landlords were responsible, the judge had to dismiss the case.
Fortunately, it does not appear that either of these victims – nor anyone else who worked at the office – received permanent injuries from what must have surely seemed like some Alfred Hitchcock-induced nightmare.
Animal Lawsuit Cases Happen Frequently
Animal attacks are often a part of legal cases. In some instances, it might be due to a dog, a cat, or some other domestic pet that has somehow attacked a person. It might have been through a purposeful bite, bumping into the person and causing them to fall, or an accidental nip. In cases such as this, the owner of the animal is often found to be at fault. They are supposed to be responsible for controlling the creature. Those who have injuries should always be sure that they seek proper legal counsel if this were to happen to them.