Young girl seriously injured after being mauled in Independence dog attack
A 5-year-old girl suffered serious injuries when she was mauled when an unrestrained dog entered a fenced backyard and attacked her Tuesday morning in an Independence neighborhood, a fire department spokesman said.
Firefighters responded to a medical call regarding a child being attacked by a dog about 10:10 a.m. at a home in the 19000 block of East R.D. Mize Road, said Battalion Chief Eric Michel with the Independence Fire Department.
Arriving firefighters found the child and the adult who called for help after the attack outside of the home. Michel said the child had a serious laceration in the area of her neck, along with other injuries.
The child was taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital.
A preliminary investigation found that the adult and child were in the home’s backyard when the unrestrained dog entered, said Detective Jack Taylor, a spokesman for the Independence Police Department.
The dog was not a family pet and did not live at the home, Taylor said.
Animal control officers took the dog, which had been secured in a kennel by the time firefighters arrived, into custody. Taylor did not know who had secured the dog.
Detectives and members from Health and Animal Services were investigating the dog attack.
An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed the child’s age. Police updated the information, saying the child is 5 years old.
This story was originally published October 8, 2024 at 1:23 PM.
