Seeks Damages For 'Severe Physical Pain And Suffering'

A lawsuit has been filed against Delta Airlines by a passenger who was allegedly attacked by a dog brought onboard by another passenger as a service animal.

Fox News reports that the attack allegedly occurred in June, 2017 on a flight from Atlanta to San Diego, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Passenger Marlin Jackson says that the dog, described as a "chocolate lab pointer mix" owned by Ronald Mundy Jr. of North Carolina, broke free from its owner and mauled Jackson's face. He reportedly required 28 stitches and "bled so profusely that the entire row of seats had to be removed from the airplane," according to the lawsuit.

Jackson says the attack led to "severe physical pain and suffering" and the partial loss of sensation to his face. “His entire lifestyle has been severely impaired by this attack,” the suit claims.

The suit claims that the dog was pulled back by its owner after it growled at Jackson, but then broke free and attacked him, according to a police report. The suit goes on to say that Delta took no action to verify or document the behavioral training of the large animal,” to assure that it would behave appropriately on an airplane.

Mundy was unavailable for comment, and Delta said that it would not comment on pending litigation. But the incident did lead the carrier to change its policies on support animals, and the federal government is reviewing such policies as well, according to the paper.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report