A postman, who suffered hand and head injuries when bitten by a dog during his rounds, has been awarded €21,933 in compensation after his claim for a dog bite injury to a postman was resolved in the Circuit Civil Court.
James Coll (50) from Kilcock, County Kildare, had been substituting for the regular postman who made deliveries in Rathcoole, County Dublin, when his accident happened. As he posted the mail through the letterbox of Amanda McMahon and her former partner, Darren Anderson, the couple’s family boxer jumped up to the letterbox from inside the house and bit James on the right hand index finger.
As a consequence of the unexpected attack, James fell backwards and hit his head on the path leading to the house – sustaining damage to a tooth when he fell. After receiving medical treatment for his injuries and seeking legal advice, James made a claim for dog bite injury to a postman against the owners of the dog and against An Post who had not provided any warnings to him about dangerous dogs on the route or trained him on how to deal with such situations.
At the Circuit Civil Court in Dublin, Judge Jacqueline Linnane heard evidence from the postman who regularly serviced the Rathcoole round that the dog would usually just pull the letters from his hand as he put them through the letterbox and from forensic engineer Alan Conlan, who testified that the lack of a backplate or draught excluder on the letterbox would have presented a significant hazard to postmen.
Judge Linnane dismissed the claim for a dog bite injury to a postman against An Post and found Amanda McMahon and Darren Anderson liable for James´ injuries. Awarding James €21,933 in compensation for a dog bite injury to a postman, she also stated that Ms McMahon and Mr Anderson should be liable for the costs An Post had incurred in defending the claim made against them.