A woman from Murphysboro, Illinois, was injured recently when a pit bull attacked her from behind as she loaded things in her car. The offending animal, which belongs to a neighbor of the victim, was taken into custody and was placed under observation, CBS affiliate KVFS reports.The attack occurred around 8:30 a.m. and began was the victim, 19-year-old Stephanie Volner, had her back turned. The animal bit her several times and cause some serious injury to her feet before a nearby witness, 59-year-old Hector Cano, came over and prevented the animal from inflicting any further damage.
"Mr. Cano heard the screams from inside his home," Sgt. Brain Brewer, with the Murphysboro Police Department, told the news source. "He came out and took action to go over and actually pull the dog off the victim."
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the number of hospitalizations resulting from dog bites has been on the rise recently, with an 86 percent increase between 1993 and 2008. Individuals looking for a way to protect themselves against a similar attack may want to consider carrying pepper spray. The device has shown to be an effective way to keep an aggressive animal at bay.
