A Boone animal control officer was recently awarded more than $380,000 after being attacked by a pair of dogs nearly three years ago while she was pregnant.
Katie Coleman, employed as an animal control officer for the Boone Area Humane Society, answered a service call in August 2023 for a residence along Tama Street in Boone that was housing three stray dogs.
Two dogs eventually broke through a gate and attacked Coleman from behind, who was 29 weeks pregnant. She was attacked again after a neighbor came to assist, according to court documents.
Coleman sustained injuries to her left elbow and left ankle, and according to court testimony, the pain persists three years later.
In December 2024, Coleman filed a lawsuit against the dogs’ owners, Beth Hill and Michael McFadden. Coleman’s attack was the 10th incident in which the dogs were involved in, and she was the seventh bite victim in less than 15 months, according to court documents.
On April 15, said the court ordered Hill and McFadden to pay Coleman $387,500 for past and future pain and suffering, loss of function and punitive damages.
Pair of dogs attacked animal control officer twice
According to Coleman’s testimony, the person who called the humane society said there were “three friendly stray dogs” he had captured in his fenced-in backyard.
There were two black dogs and one blond when Coleman arrived; the two black dogs “began barking furiously and eventually broke through the gate.”
Coleman said she was not holding a catchpole and had not made any moves or indicated that she intended to harm the dogs, according to her testimony.
Boone law enforcement allegedly handcuffed an “agitated” McFadden to keep him from interfering when they arrived at the owner’s house to remove the dogs. McFadden allegedly told the officers he “would go to jail before giving up his dogs.” McFadden was released from handcuffs once the dogs were removed.
According to court documents, the Boone City Council unanimously determined in September 2023 that two of the dogs met the definition of “vicious animals” and city ordinance mandated they be euthanized.
The dogs were euthanized a few months later.
Attack caused physical and mental suffering
Coleman had to undergo physical therapy to try to improve her ankle strength and testified that permanent nerve damage causes her to suffer from pain daily. The night before the trial, more than two and a half years after the incident, she said her pain was 8.5 on the 10-point scale.
Surgery is a possibility, according to court documents, but since nerve blocks did not work, Coleman’s doctor “is not optimistic that surgery would fully cure her pain either.”
Colman was diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder and has therapy at least twice a month, according to her testimony. She said in her lawsuit that she is afraid to take her children on walks, fearful that a dog might attack.
Dog owners must pay $500,000
Coleman filed her petition on Dec. 20, 2024, saying Hill and McFadden were liable for the dogs’ actions.
The court ruled that Hill and McFadden must pay her $150,000 for past pain and suffering; $100,000 for future pain and suffering; $50,000 for past loss of function; and $50,000 for future loss of function.
The court also awarded $150,000 for punitive damages. Coleman will be paid $37,500, while the remaining $112,500 will be paid into a civil reparations trust fund.
Editor’s Note: The Ames Tribune has not been able to verify whether Coleman still works for the Boone Area Humane Society.
Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Boone animal control officer awarded $380K in dog attack lawsuit
Reporting by Celia Brocker, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
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