An attorney acting for a man who was badly injured by an emotional support dog on a Delta Air Lines flight is questioning why the dog wasn’t wearing a muzzle and why it was put in the middle seat.
Revealing details of the incident, attorney J. Ross Massey said the victim, Marlin Jackson of Daphne, Alabama, had to have 28 stitches on his face after he was bitten by the animal, who was sitting on the lap of its owner.
Massey said witnesses claimed the dog growled at Mr Jackson soon after he took his seat and then, when Mr Jackson tried to buckle his seatbelt, the growling increased and the dog lunged for him.
The dog was pulled away but broke free from its owner’s grasp and attacked Mr Jackson a second time.
Massey said his client couldn’t escape because he was sitting in the window seat.
The incident took place while the San Diego flight was preparing to take off from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
"It is troubling that an airline would allow a dog of such substantial size to ride in a passenger’s lap without a muzzle," said a written statement by Massey, who works with Birmingham-based law firm Alexander Shunnarah & Associates.
"Especially considering the dog and its owner were assigned a middle seat despite Delta Air Lines’ policies that call for the re-accommodation of larger animals.
"We expect airlines to follow procedures as required and verify any dogs traveling unrestrained in open cabin are trained for handling the large crowds and enclosed environments encountered on board an airplane."
The law firm said it is seeking information on Delta’s ‘compliance with policies for unrestrained larger animals within a plane’s cabin and the verification process of their emotional support animal training requirements.’
