Sometimes, a dog bite can lead to something very serious, as illustrated in a report on the case of David Krall by the Chicago Tribune..
Fifty-year-old David Krall, a marathon runner, decided to take a run after work, and he took one of his two dogs with him. When he returned home, a neighbor’s dog got out of its collar and went for Krall’s dog. When Krall was trying to pull the two dogs apart, the neighbor’s dog bit into Krall’s thigh, creating a bloody wound. The marathoner washed the wound and applied antibacterial cream, and he also visited an urgent care center the next day. Other than having a splenectomy over three decades ago after a car accident, Krall was completely healthy. At the urgent care center, Krall received a tetanus shot and antibiotics as a precaution.
The next day, the 50-year-old began to feel unwell, so his wife Becky took him back to the urgent care clinic, thinking the bite was infected or that he had a reaction to the tetanus shot. He had a fever, so the nurse at the clinic directed the couple to go to a nearby hospital. The emergency room at the hospital was busy, so the couple waited for around five hours to see a doctor. They decided to go home and return the next day, but around 4 am, Becky Krall woke up and noticed her husband still had a fever and seemed even more ill, so they returned to the emergency room.
This time, they were seen immediately, as Krall became unresponsive in the waiting room. To Becky Krall’s shock, she learned her husband was seriously ill, with labored breathing, failing kidneys and other complications. While staff researched and ran tests to determine what was causing his illness, Becky Krall repeatedly told them about the dog bite, but they didn’t think the two were related.
Finally, on David Krall’s 51st day in the hospital, infectious disease specialist Derek Forster, who was acting on a hunch because of the similarities in Krall’s case to a case the doctor had six years earlier, was able to pinpoint what was making the otherwise healthy 50-year-old so ill. David Krall had capnocytophaga canimorsus, a bacteria sometimes found in dog saliva that can cause fatal infections, particularly in a person who doesn’t have a spleen.
Recovery for David Krall, who was in a coma that was medically induced for 11 days during treatment, was difficult and took months. Parts of three of his toes had to be amputated due to the infection, and he now has permanent and severe hearing loss. While Becky Krall says the couple is grateful that doctors saved David’s life, they do want their story to serve as a reminder of the importance of communication in emergency departments and the dangers people without spleens face.
A simple dog bite can turn into something much bigger, as illustrated by the story of David Krall. If you or someone you love has been injured by someone else’s dog, speak to an experienced dog bite lawyer Denver CO trusts today.
Thanks to our friends and contributors from Richard J. Banta, P.C. into personal injury practice.