A family member of an Ohio woman mauled and killed by two Cane Corso dogs in February is attempting to hold the animals’ two owners accountable for the fatal incident. The victim’s family member recently filed a wrongful death lawsuit in civil court, seeking more than $25,000 in damages.

As a result of the attack, the Ohio woman suffered extensive injuries that caused severe pain until her eventual February 7 death, the suit says. The man and woman responsible for the two dogs involved in the attack were neighbors of the victim, and the attack took place in front of the victim’s residence, according to the lawsuit. Reportedly, the victim had been familiar with the two dogs prior to the attack, as she had registered multiple complaints about the dogs with police and set up cameras on her home to record surveillance footage of the dogs’ behavior.

The lawsuit claims that the owners knew there was potential for an attack involving their dogs. The suit accuses the couple of negligence, claiming that they failed to take adequate steps to confine, control and restrain their two large dogs. Bearing no relation to the lawsuit, police had charged each owner with reckless homicide in the aftermath of the attack, but those charges were subsequently dropped.

While some accidents are unavoidable, others are caused by negligent or reckless behavior. Families who lose a loved one in such accidents may pursue civil remedies against the parties responsible for the actionable behavior. For example, certain family members of the decedent may be eligible to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit like the one filed in this particular case. If successful, the victim’s family members may be awarded financial compensation for damages they suffered as a direct result of the fatal accident.

Source: WDTN, “Lawsuit filed in Klonda Richey death”, Natalie Tendall, May 09, 2014