Canvassing Politician Receives Dog Bite Injuries

A Dangerous Dog mauling a child can be a shockingly common story in the British media. Yet during the recent UK election there was a new breed of dog attack victims: politicians.

Several councillors and political campaigners were injured during their door to door canvassing in the run up to the May 2010 Elections – the most serious case being that of Joe Benton.

The Labour Candidate for Bootle, a constituency in Merseyside, had the tip of his finger bitten off whilst leafleting the local area. Mr Benton was pushing a campaign leaflet through a letterbox of a house on Gonville Road, when the dog leapt against the door and severed his finger end.

‘Severed Fingertip’

The 77 year old politician is said to have ‘fallen to the ground’ where he ‘hit his head’. He was rushed to hospital where his condition stabilised but doctors were unable to save his fingertip.
The MP for Bootle, who had been in post since 1990, could not vote, or attend the final count on election day, but managed to retain his seat.

Initially, the dog was suspected to be an illegal breed, but it was later confirmed to be a legal Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Mika. The dog’s owners consider the bite to be an ‘unfortunate accident’
and that Mika ‘Just wanted to grab the leaflet with his teeth and caught Joe’s finger.’The family insist that their dog isn’t dangerous hand has never previously attacked anyone.

Joe Benton,did not report the incident to the police, and the incident is being considered an accidental injury.

Any Dog can Cause Dog Bite Injuries

The case highlights that dog attacks can happen at any time, and are not just committed by ‘illegal breeds.’ Dog bites can happen for a variety of reasons, often because of misunderstandings, or because a dog is trying to protect their owners. Loyal family pets are responsible for over 250,000 dog bites every year in the UK, and, like Mika, many dog bite injuries can happen for the most innocent of reasons.

Macks Solicitors have recovered thousands of pounds in compensation for people bitten by unrestrained and unmuzzled dogs whilst delivering letters, newspapers, leaflets and flyers.