Tiger Attack

Posted on January 3, 2008 by Jason Fernandez

In the aftermath of the fatal tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo on Christmas Day,the survivors have hired a lawyer to investigate possible negligence on the zoo’s part. According to the lawyer, Mark Geragos, the three victims initially encountered the tiger at around 4:30 pm. The first 911 call was recorded at 5:07 pm from someone inside the zoo.

According to the victims, after failing to find safety inside the zoo’s closed cafeteria, they spotted a female security officer in a golfcart. The security officer apparently doubted the story of a lose and dangerous tiger. The first police log notation of the incident (at about 5:10 pm) shares the security’s officer skepticism: “Zoo personnel dispatch now say there are two males who the zoo thinks ... are 800 (code for mentally disturbed) and making something up ... but one is in fact bleeding from the back of the head.”

In the end, it took about 45 minutes for the 3 victims to receive any assistance. During that time, they were accused of being mentally disturbed and ignored. That attitude resulted in the death of Carlos Sousa, Jr., age 17. “They say they were acting crazy. ... I don't know how one is supposed to act after being attacked by a tiger,” Geragos said.

The zoo’s response? Sam Singer, a newly hired spokesman for the zoo, said Tuesday that “anything that a defense (sic) attorney says has to be taken with not a pinch of salt, but a ton of salt.” In addition, a witness has come forward to claim that four young men, not three, were heckling the tiger in question by “growling” at it.

Historically, individuals and institutions are held strictly liable for actions of wild and dangerous animals. Unfortunately for the zoo, ad hominem attacks on members of the legal profession may be insufficient to overturn centuries of common law. The 4-year-old Siberian, Tatiana, maimed her handler’s arm a year ago.

To learn more about personal injury issues, please see personal injury law.  TO learn more about our personal injury lawyers, please click on personal injury lawyers maryland, and view our firm bios on Andrew Bederman, Roger Greenberg, or Jason Fernandez..

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,