Profiles
Animal Bite Victims Find Advocate in John Mesirow
March 31, 2023
Thirty years ago, John Mesirow founded his firm, Mesirow & Associates, PLLC, specializing in personal injury cases involving car crashes, pedestrian accidents, bike accidents, and dog bites. Mesirow is a graduate of the George Washington University Law School and a native Washingtonian.
“I was born at Columbia Hospital for Women here in the District of Columbia 60 years ago. My parents were born there, too, as were my siblings and my kids. That run is over, though, because the hospital is no more. It’s now a condominium complex,” Mesirow says.
Before launching his own practice in 1993, Mesirow worked as an associate at the now defunct firms Frank, Bernstein, Conaway & Goldman and Stauffer & Abraham. Here, Mesirow talks about how he found his way into the niche practice of animal bite law.
How does animal bite law intersect with personal injury?
Many personal injury attorneys who represent victims of automobile accidents, pedestrian accidents, and bicycle accidents also represent victims of dog bite attacks. Lawyers who handle animal bite cases seek to obtain compensation for [those who are bitten]. These cases almost always involve dog bites, although I have my first cat bite case now after 30 years, and it’s a strange, interesting case for me, but not so much for the victim.
How did you decide upon this practice area?
Having been bitten by a dog as a child, I understand that it is a very traumatic experience. Almost 50 years later, I remember it in vivid detail. So, I get a lot of satisfaction from helping dog bite victims obtain the compensation they deserve. This includes not just compensation for their medical expenses, but also for the pain and suffering they have endured, any future pain and suffering, limitations on activities, scars, emotional trauma, wage losses, and inconvenience. (This is not an exhaustive list of damages for victims of dog bites.)
While the emotional trauma experienced by many of my other clients is serious, I’ve noticed that the victims of dog bites are more likely to suffer emotional distress than car crash victims. Pedestrian and cyclist victims would fall somewhere in between.
What are some of your most memorable cases?
When I think of the most memorable dog bite case I have handled, one immediately comes to mind, and it was truly horrific. A handyman approached a home to do some exterior work. There were two pit bulls at the home. When the client told the homeowner that he was worried about the dogs, he was told that they are chained up and that they wouldn’t bother him. As the client was walking to his truck to get his tools, he saw the dogs headed his way. They had broken the chains and were coming after him. Just like that, the dogs were on top of him, biting him all over his body. He couldn’t get back to his truck. Dishearteningly, many cars passed him by as the vicious attack continued.
Finally, a gentleman stopped and, with the assistance of a brave young woman who stopped soon thereafter, was able to distract the dogs long enough for the client to climb into the back of the Good Samaritan’s truck. The dogs then circled the truck, trying to finish the job. The video of this — taken by the Good Samaritan after he managed to escape into his truck — is terrifying. The client had over 250 stitches all over his body, except his face, which he managed to cover as he was being attacked.
This case is memorable for three reasons. First, I have never seen such a vicious attack that caused so many injuries. The photographs of the bites all over this poor man’s body are permanently etched in my memory. Second, it is unusual for a pet owner to have as much insurance as the owner of these dogs did. Finally, and most importantly, what we were able to recover for this hardworking, salt-of-the earth gentleman truly changed his life. That is often not the case, even with severe injuries, because there is not enough insurance or the responsible party is not collectable, which is almost always the case.
There was a rise in “pandemic pets” in the past three years. How did it affect your practice?
The rise in “pandemic pets” did not impact my practice. I still see about the same number of irresponsible pet owners during the pandemic as I saw pre-pandemic. However, that doesn’t mean the number of dog bites has not increased. It has been reported in various sources, including the Journal of Pediatrics, that the number of dog bites has in fact increased for a variety of reasons, including having to stay at home. This is likely true for adults as well.
Where do you see the practice trending within the next five years?
That’s an interesting question. It seems like every day technology becomes a bigger factor in everything, whether it’s documenting what happened on January 6, 2021, through cell phone videos, the use of black boxes in vehicle crash cases, or the recording of accidents with doorbell cameras. I have several cases now that are rock-solid due to doorbell camera footage. So, regarding dog attacks that take place on or very close to a home, I see the proliferation of doorbell cameras as a very useful way for attorneys to strengthen their clients’ claims. With respect to attacks that take place away from the home, as with so many other things I expect cell phone videos to increasingly help attorneys prove that owners of dogs (and cats!) are legally responsible for the harms suffered by the victims of these attacks.
