'I figured I was dead.' Ohio man survives attack by friend's pit bull

Michael Palmer is simply a breached man.

He lives successful fear, crashes connected friends’ couches and feels uncomfortable erstwhile strangers look astatine him.

This is each caller to Palmer, present 51.

In December 2022, Palmer was viciously attacked by a friend's pit bull astatine her Green home. Piper, the dog, spot disconnected his ears, thumbs, an scale digit and portion of his nose.

Palmer tin nary longer enactment arsenic a machinist, play guitar oregon prime up tiny items.

“I don’t similar to spell successful public,” Palmer said successful an interrogation astatine his attorneys’ bureau successful Akron. “I spell to stores and radical stare. Some of them ask. I’d alternatively them inquire than conscionable look and locomotion away.”

Palmer, who is surviving successful Lakemore, said helium mostly goes retired astatine nighttime erstwhile his injuries aren’t arsenic noticeable.

More: Pit bulls took her limb but not the beingness she loves

After spending astir 3 months successful hospitals and going done 7 surgeries, Palmer faces fractional a twelve much operations, on with changeless PTSD and nightmares.

Keys oregon coins rattling unneurotic dependable similar a canine concatenation to Palmer, sending him into a panic.

“It puts the fearfulness of a canine successful my mind,” helium said. “I spot shadows of dogs each the time. I perceive a canine bark and it’s beauteous tough.”

More: Animal power gone astray: Akron seeing excessively galore escaped dogs, not capable structure space

Palmer was attacked by his neighbour Wendy Trippett’s pit bull erstwhile helium went to her location successful the aboriginal greeting hours of Dec. 20, 2022. He said she invited him successful and, erstwhile helium started to unfastened the door, the canine pounced.

The onslaught lasted astir 15 minutes. The canine dragged Palmer onto the snow-covered crushed and spot disconnected chunks of his soma and assemblage parts portion wagging its tail. The battle ended erstwhile a Summit County sheriff’s lawman changeable and killed the dog.

Palmer doesn’t callback overmuch aft the canine archetypal spot 1 of his hands until helium woke up successful the infirmary days later.

“I figured I was dead,” helium said.

The canine spot disconnected a ample country connected the broadside of Palmer’s face, some ears, a thumb and forefinger connected his close hand, and a thumb connected his near hand. He besides had bites to 1 of his arms and 1 of his legs.

Deputies were capable to retrieve 1 of Palmer’s thumbs, but doctors couldn’t reattach it. Deputies determined the canine ate the different assemblage parts.

Asked if thing tin beryllium learned from his attack, Palmer said: “Any canine tin attack. You ne'er know.”

Palmer's attorneys accidental onslaught could person been avoided

Palmer’s attorneys said his onslaught could − and should – person been prevented. They judge the lawsuit illustrates the gaps successful Ohio's unsafe canine laws and their enforcement.

The attorneys are suing Kenneth Grable, who was the landlord of some Palmer and Trippett.

The attorneys assertion Grable was alert of the dog’s anterior attacks connected 2 different radical but did thing astir it, contempt requests by his tenants.

Grable, though, argues helium isn't to blasted for the attack. He said helium understands Palmer tried to participate Trippett's location uninvited and the canine attacked him.

"I thought it was a beauteous bully dog," Grable said. "It was protecting its mom. That's what dogs do."

A assemblage proceedings was scheduled for this week successful Summit County Common Pleas Court but was delayed. The proceedings volition find if Grable is liable and, if so, however overmuch helium owes Palmer successful damages. Palmer’s aesculapian bills truthful acold are astir $650,000, his attorneys say.

Rick Zurz, 1 of Palmer’s attorneys with Slater & Zurz, said Palmer suffered carnal and intelligence injuries that he'll person for the remainder of his life.

“It’s truly astir having to unrecorded successful the aftermath of that,” Zurz said. “It’s horrific.”

Pit bull attacked 2 different neighbors

Three months earlier Palmer’s attack, the aforesaid pit bull tried to onslaught the neighbour who would aboriginal spot Palmer’s mauling.

Christine Witte, who lived adjacent to Trippett connected Warren Drive successful Green, called 911 connected Sept. 4, 2022, to study that her neighbor’s canine tried to onslaught her successful her driveway portion she was taking retired the trash.

“I came astir the country and she came charging astatine me,” Witte said successful an interview, referring to the pit bull that was female. “She was moving around, trying to onslaught me. I enactment the trash tin betwixt maine and her, ran backmost successful the house, slammed the doorway and called 911.”

Witte, 59, said she wasn’t spot but was frightened.

Trippett wasn’t location astatine the time. Deputies gave her a informing for power of her canine and told her she “needs to ticker the canine amended and to hole the obstruction wherever it got retired of the yard,” according to a study from the Summit County Sheriff's Office, which provides constabulary services successful Green.

Witte said she called Summit County Animal Control but was told determination was thing the bureau could do.

Animal power chiefly responds to complaints of stray dogs successful townships, with cities handling their ain canine complaints, said Greta Johnson, the adjunct main of unit and manager of communications for the Summit County executive.

Shortly aft the September incident, Witte said she saw the pit bull interruption escaped from its concatenation and effort to onslaught a neighbor's friend. The antheral climbed a histrion to escape. After the antheral came down, the canine charged astatine him again and helium again scrambled up the tree.

Grable, the landlord, witnessed the adjacent attack, Witte said. He remarked that the canine was precise strong.

This incidental wasn't reported to the sheriff's office.

Witte said some she and different neighbour complained to Grable astir the dog. She said helium did nothing, though, and allowed the canine to remain.

Witte said she was truthful frightened of the pit bull that she didn’t have a day enactment successful her gait retired of fearfulness that idiosyncratic would beryllium attacked. She thinks much should person been done to support her and her neighbors.

“There were a batch of missteps,” said Witte, who present lives successful Akron. “I was trying to get the canine retired of there.”

Grable said helium told Trippett that she needed to bash thing astir her pit bull.

"I told her, 'Get escaped of it oregon get security for it,'" Grable said. "She ne'er did thing astir it. I ne'er forced it."

Palmer blacks retired during onslaught that lasts astir 15 minutes

Palmer, who isn’t joined and has 2 kids, moved into a location connected Warren Drive astatine the opening of the summertime of 2021.

Palmer said helium went to Trippett's location astir 4 a.m. December 20, 2022, erstwhile she asked to get $20. He said helium was wary astir her pit bull but she had ever enactment the 100-pound canine successful a backmost chamber erstwhile he’d visited before.

Here's what happened next, according to Palmer, witnesser reports and constabulary body-worn camera footage:

Palmer knocked and Trippett told him to travel in.

When Palmer opened the door, the pit bull pounced, dragging him into the yard. Trippett tried to get her canine to halt by hitting it with a broom. This didn’t help.

The canine grabbed Palmer's sound limb arsenic helium tried to rotation astir and deed it. It grabbed his sound limb again and helium deed it connected apical of its nose.

Palmer fell to the crushed and tried to carnivore hug the dog. It pulled him to the crushed respective times portion helium yelled astatine Trippett to get her “f------ dog!”

Witte heard the commotion and asked Palmer if helium needed help. He asked her to telephone 911.

Witte thought astir hitting the canine with a shovel but was acrophobic it would crook connected her. She went wrong and called 911, screaming, “Please come!” to the dispatcher.

Palmer tried to ascent successful a pickup motortruck successful the driveway, but the canine pulled him backmost down.

Palmer blacked retired erstwhile the canine spot him connected the close manus and was past successful and retired of consciousness.

“I don’t retrieve it biting disconnected my finger, biting disconnected my ears,” helium said. “It’s not similar I looked down and said, ‘My fingers are gone.’”

When Deputy Nick DiSabato arrived, the canine was inactive mauling Palmer.

“Get the canine disconnected this guy!” Witte shouted.

DiSabato changeable the canine and it yelped, past ran astir the beforehand of the house. The lawman changeable the canine doubly more.

“Dog’s down!” DiSabato said into his radio, past added that Palmer needed an ambulance for canine bites each implicit his body.

Deputies attempted to supply Palmer with archetypal assistance until paramedics arrived.

“We’re here, alright?” a lawman said to Palmer, whose assemblage was surrounded by humor successful the snow.

The lawman urged Palmer to enactment still.

“Please, please, please!” Palmer pleaded. “Oh my God, please!”

Paramedics arrived, enactment Palmer connected a gurney and headed to Summa Akron City Hospital.

Palmer endures surgeries and PTSD aft attack

Palmer woke up successful the infirmary with a lawman lasting astatine the extremity of his bed. It was Christmas Eve, 4 days aft the attack.

Palmer was successful the infirmary for 20 days and past transferred to a skilled nursing installation wherever helium stayed for respective weeks.

Palmer has truthful acold had 7 surgeries and his doctors accidental helium needs astatine slightest 5 oregon six more. He said helium has PTSD and the surgeries person been difficult.

“My intelligence wellness things happening slowed everything down,” helium said.

Palmer is inactive missing portion of his chemoreceptor and parts of some his ears, arsenic good arsenic some his thumbs and a digit connected his close hand. He said the nonaccomplishment of his thumbs and digit makes it hard to prime things up. If helium drops thing astatine the store, specified arsenic coins, helium conscionable leaves them.

Palmer has been surviving with his parent successful his puerility location successful Lakemore but she has a 180-pound Rottweiler, which is hard due to the fact that he’s present frightened of dogs, and peculiarly ample ones. He often sleeps connected friends’ couches.

Palmer, who was a machinist, hasn’t been capable to enactment since the attack. His aesculapian expenses person been paid by Ohio Medicaid, a authorities and federally funded wellness program for low-income and disabled Ohioans.

Palmer nary longer socializes with galore people. When radical travel to his mother’s location to spot him, helium sometimes doesn’t reply the door.

“My life’s changed,” helium said. “Totally. 100%.”

Palmer thinks a younger idiosyncratic oregon a overmuch older idiosyncratic apt wouldn’t person survived this attack. He said dogs – and not conscionable pit bulls – should beryllium taken seriously.

“I don’t deliberation anybody should person to spell done it,” helium said of his attack.

Michael Schmeltzer, 1 of Palmer’s attorneys, praised Deputy DiSabato for his quick, decisive action.

“He astir apt saved Mike’s life,” Schmeltzer said. “All the canine had to bash was resistance him by the cervix – and pull.”

Pit bull proprietor isn't charged

Trippett, the pit bull’s owner, gave a antithetic relationship to sheriff’s deputies of what happened earlier Palmer’s attack.

She said Palmer came to her location to assistance paint, but, erstwhile helium got there, knocked 1 time, opened the doorway and walked in.

She said Palmer didn’t springiness her clip to reply the doorway and shouldn’t person conscionable walked in, according to a sheriff report.

Deputies saw a roller and different overgarment materials successful the beforehand yard, according to the report.

Palmer, though, told deputies helium went to Trippett's location to indebtedness her money. He said she invited him successful and the canine attacked erstwhile helium tried to enter.

Assistant Summit County Prosecutor Felicia Easter declined to record charges due to the fact that of the conflicting statements. She besides noted that the canine hadn’t been deemed vicious by Green, according to the report.

Palmer sues canine proprietor and landlord

Palmer filed a negligence suit successful May 2023 against Trippett and Grable successful Summit County Common Pleas Court.

The suit said Palmer has serious, imperishable and important carnal injuries, including carnal deformity. He has suffered symptom and suffering, wellness attraction expenses, nonaccomplishment of income, a diminished capableness to gain income, and affectional distress and anxiety, according to the complaint.

Grable denied each the allegations. He is representing himself due to the fact that helium has been incapable to find an attorney, though helium has talked to a dozen. He said helium feels atrocious astir what happened to Palmer but doesn't recognize wherefore he's being blamed.

“How tin idiosyncratic beryllium blameworthy of thing I had thing to bash with?” he asked.

Grable said helium has nary liability insurance.

"Who's got the wealth for that?" helium asked.

Grable filed a question to disregard the suit successful August 2023, which was denied. He claimed the pit bull attacked Palmer due to the fact that Palmer was trespassing. He besides claimed the canine "has ne'er shown immoderate signs of being dangerous," which is contradicted by reports and neighbors' accounts.

Trespassing is 1 of the defenses that tin beryllium offered by idiosyncratic being sued successful a canine wound case.

Trippett was dismissed from the suit successful February 2024 without prejudice, which means the suit against her could perchance beryllium refiled, according to tribunal records.

Trippett besides had nary liability insurance, Zurz said.

Dylan Statler, Trippett's Akron attorney, said this "was a precise traumatic happening for her."

"At this time, she's not wanting to talk astir this matter," Statler said.

The lawsuit against Grable was acceptable for a assemblage proceedings connected March 10 successful Judge Mary Margaret Rowlands’ courtroom, but this was delayed and a caller proceedings day hasn't yet been set.

If Grable is recovered liable, Schmeltzer said Palmer volition beryllium entitled to damages to screen his aesculapian bills, mislaid wages and aboriginal wellness attraction expenses. Schmeltzer said determination would beryllium nary headdress connected the magnitude Palmer could beryllium awarded for his symptom and suffering.

Schmeltzer, though, said Palmer yet mightiness not beryllium capable to recoup immoderate he's awarded.

“When you enactment each that together, we don’t expect a afloat recovery,” Schmeltzer said.

Schmeltzer called Palmer’s lawsuit the “most horrific” canine wound lawsuit he’s handled successful his 18 years arsenic an attorney.

“It shows the catastrophic harm that tin beryllium caused by an animal,” helium said. “Scars are left.”

Stephanie Warsmith tin beryllium reached astatine [email protected], 330-996-3705 and connected X (formerly Twitter): @swarsmithabj.

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected Akron Beacon Journal: Ohio antheral sues landlord implicit mauling by canine that attacked 2 others