Man in wheelchair mauled by pit bulls :(

Reba

Reba

Retired Terp
Premium Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2004
Messages
54,899
Reaction score
1,518
HARLEYVILLE — Family and friends of an 80-year-old man who was fatally mauled by dogs as he rode around in his wheelchair last week gathered on his back porch Tuesday afternoon to comfort one another.

They described Carlton Freeman as a friendly man just about everybody knew. He had worked for the railroad, drove a dump truck for Dorchester County and regularly attended the area’s historic Christian camp meetings.

After he lost his legs to an infection caused by diabetes, he rode around in his electric wheelchair waving at neighbors, often letting children hitch a ride on the contraption.

He was attacked by four dogs near Spring Branch and Dunnings roads shortly before 3 p.m. on May 8. He spent several days at Trident Hospital and died Sunday morning. It was remarkable that he lasted as long as he did, according to Dorchester County Coroner Chris Nisbet.

“Upon my examination of Mr. Freeman, it is a wonder that this gentleman was able to hang on as long as he did,” Nisbet said. “He had bites and lacerations from his legs to the top of his head. This is very sad story, but even worse that Mr. Freeman was basically helpless to the attack, due to being a bilateral amputee.”

While family members described Freeman to visitors Tuesday, one woman sat just outside the railing with her head down. Barbara Goodwin, a neighbor, owned three of the dogs that witnesses say dragged Freeman to the ground and ripped him with their teeth.

Rita Freeman, Carlton’s wife, paused in her conversation and looked over at Goodwin. Her reaction demonstrated the spirit of this close-knit community.

“Are you all right, Barbara?” Freeman asked, inviting her to come up on the porch with the rest of them.

Goodwin stayed where she was.

“I’m still so upset about what happened,” she said in a low voice to a visitor. “Carl was a nice man. He was very close to my son.”

Goodwin said she didn’t get a ticket from animal-control officers but is expecting one for not having the dogs restrained. Her dogs had been roaming for quite a while but had never caused any problems before, she said.

Nobody in the community was blaming Goodwin for the attack. They say they believe her dogs jumped in by instinct after a fourth dog attacked Freeman and dragged him to the ground. They all described the four dogs as pit bulls.

Goodwin’s blood-splattered dogs, a mother and two pups, put up no resistance when Dorchester County animal-control officers arrived to take them into custody, according to the incident report. The fourth dog ran off in the woods and remains at large.

A young man was walking with a shotgun in his arms Tuesday afternoon near where Freeman was attacked.

“He’s looking for that other dog,” a neighbor said. Animal-control officers also have been trying to trap the renegade.

Freeman never blamed Goodwin for the attack, according to his daughter, Edna James.

“My father said she has so much on her plate (with her son in the hospital), the only thing I want is for them to get those dogs so they don’t hurt nobody else,” she said. “He didn’t want no animosity. I’m going to honor his wishes. We’re a small community, but we love each other.”

Mariann Boyd, a neighbor and Goodwin’s cousin, came up and gave her a hug.

“Everybody knows one another,” Boyd said. “That’s why it hurts so bad.”

William James, Freeman’s son-in-law, remembered how Freeman could clean a fish faster than anybody he ever saw.

Nobody ever expected dogs would be the end of him.

“He was a good guy,” James said. “He treated everybody like he wanted to be treated. ... Dogs?”
Click to expand...
Mauled man’s family refuses to blame owner of dogs for wheelchair attack – The Post and Courier

On the TV news, they described how the dogs were dragging him into the woods. :cold:
 
Geez, that's nuts!

They say they believe her dogs jumped in by instinct after a fourth dog attacked Freeman and dragged him to the ground. They all described the four dogs as pit bulls.

Sounds like the insincts of a pack of wolves.
 
The owner of the dogs needs to be jailed...she let them roam free and they were Pit Bulls.....This news is really horrific as the man had no way to get away being an amputee!....I do not have any empathy/sympathy for the owner of these dogs!....

Just yesterday, here in my City....a man was walking down the street, and a loose Rotty attacked him...he's in ICU with severe head injuries....most all of his scalp had been torn off...and he isn't expected to live.
 
rockin'robin said:
The owner of the dogs needs to be jailed...she let them roam free and they were Pit Bulls.....This news is really horrific as the man had no way to get away being an amputee!....I do not have any empathy/sympathy for the owner of these dogs!....

Just yesterday, here in my City....a man was walking down the street, and a loose Rotty attacked him...he's in ICU with severe head injuries....most all of his scalp had been torn off...and he isn't expected to live.
Click to expand...

What charge would you expect for dog owner?

It is rather tragedy and some pitbull owners make mistake.

The pitbull owner will slap with expensive civil lawsuit.

Back in 2011, my aunt's pitbull bite 5 years old boy in next neighborhood because fence went broke and ability to bypass the fence control collar so attacked a little boy - got some scars on body and one ear. Lucky, my aunt has insurance that will cover on lawsuit and 5 years old boy already received full medical treatment but his emotion is still traumatic. My aunt put pitbull in sleep and never adopt pitbull or vicious dogs again in rest of her life. After 2 years of lawsuit, they settled for $150,000 with 30% goes to lawyer, however our developer expressed to us that he has no respect for dog victim's family due to dishonest and extremely unfriendly to other neighbors, so he said victim's family hated dogs for very long time. The victim's family originally want million dollars in lawsuit but it is extremely slim chance in the court over minor injuries.
 
rockin'robin said:
...Just yesterday, here in my City....a man was walking down the street, and a loose Rotty attacked him...he's in ICU with severe head injuries....most all of his scalp had been torn off...and he isn't expected to live.
Click to expand...
:(
 
Foxrac said:
What charge would you expect for dog owner?

It is rather tragedy and some pitbull owners make mistake.

The pitbull owner will slap with expensive civil lawsuit.
Click to expand...
Only if the victim's family wants to. So far, they don't want to do that. I have a feeling the dog owner is poor anyway, and probably doesn't even have much insurance coverage.

Back in 2011, my aunt's pitbull bite 5 years old boy in next neighborhood because fence went broke and ability to bypass the fence control collar so attacked a little boy - got some scars on body and one ear. Lucky, my aunt has insurance that will cover on lawsuit and 5 years old boy already received full medical treatment but his emotion is still traumatic. My aunt put pitbull in sleep and never adopt pitbull or vicious dogs again in rest of her life. After 2 years of lawsuit, they settled for $150,000 with 30% goes to lawyer, however our developer expressed to us that he has no respect for dog victim's family due to dishonest and extremely unfriendly to other neighbors, so he said victim's family hated dogs for very long time. The victim's family originally want million dollars in lawsuit but it is extremely slim chance in the court over minor injuries.
Click to expand...
That's a sad story.
 
Foxrac said:
What charge would you expect for dog owner?

It is rather tragedy and some pitbull owners make mistake.

The pitbull owner will slap with expensive civil lawsuit.

Back in 2011, my aunt's pitbull bite 5 years old boy in next neighborhood because fence went broke and ability to bypass the fence control collar so attacked a little boy - got some scars on body and one ear. Lucky, my aunt has insurance that will cover on lawsuit and 5 years old boy already received full medical treatment but his emotion is still traumatic. My aunt put pitbull in sleep and never adopt pitbull or vicious dogs again in rest of her life. After 2 years of lawsuit, they settled for $150,000 with 30% goes to lawyer, however our developer expressed to us that he has no respect for dog victim's family due to dishonest and extremely unfriendly to other neighbors, so he said victim's family hated dogs for very long time. The victim's family originally want million dollars in lawsuit but it is extremely slim chance in the court over minor injuries.
Click to expand...

Was it one of the wireless shock collar types? They are not really a barrier. Beside failing to work on occasion even if they do what they are supposed to it's only a being persuasive. I tried one on myself on the highest setting and while it hurt it wouldn't keep me from passing the wire if I really wanted to.

Some states (Texas comes to mind) you can be held criminally responsible if your dog attacks. South Carolina says the dog has to be a "dangerous animal" and defines that term clearly and states "An animal is not a "dangerous animal" solely by virtue of its breed or species."
 
jonnyghost said:
Was it one of the wireless shock collar types? They are not really a barrier. Beside failing to work on occasion even if they do what they are supposed to it's only a being persuasive. I tried one on myself on the highest setting and while it hurt it wouldn't keep me from passing the wire if I really wanted to.

Some states (Texas comes to mind) you can be held criminally responsible if your dog attacks. South Carolina says the dog has to be a "dangerous animal" and defines that term clearly and states "An animal is not a "dangerous animal" solely by virtue of its breed or species."
Click to expand...

No, it is wired fence border control with shock collar.

That happened when I was living in DC.
 
That's what I meant. There is a wire that runs along the border that transmits RF. When the collar get's close it picks up the signal. When I was looking at dogs some breeders wouldn't sell to people who only had one of these systems as they had many pups lost and killed when they fail or the dog just blasts right threw it anyway. It's not like a stun gun, it hurts but it's not crazy.
 
jonnyghost said:
That's what I meant. There is a wire that runs along the border that transmits RF. When the collar get's close it picks up the signal. When I was looking at dogs some breeders wouldn't sell to people who only had one of these systems as they had many pups lost and killed when they fail or the dog just blasts right threw it anyway. It's not like a stun gun, it hurts but it's not crazy.
Click to expand...

I seriously doubt about shock collar because my aunt's pitbull was ability to bypass the shock collar and she had several escape attempt (broke the fence), also she broke the crate too so my aunt had to buy heavy duty crate. He was extremely aggressive and he was originally from dogfighting by previous owner.

We bought strong shock collar and it didn't work for him.

He has to go for good.
 
Yea, if it was a fighting dog that shock probably felt like nothing compared to another dog bite. I've seen friends pitbulls get hurt bad and hardly notice.
 
jonnyghost said:
Yea, if it was a fighting dog that shock probably felt like nothing compared to another dog bite. I've seen friends pitbulls get hurt bad and hardly notice.
Click to expand...

Yes, it is best to adopt the pitbull as puppy from trusted and respectable owner, or you will be sorry.

Our house insurance went UP like crazy after dog bite. :roll:
 
The neighbor owned three pitbulls and Carlton was mauled by four pitpulls so where did the fourth dog which attacked first and escaped into the woods come from? :hmm: Maybe it was homeless. Has it been found yet?
 
Update:

Before he died earlier this month, a 80-year-old Harleyville man asked that authorities not pursue charges against anyone connected with the dogs that mauled him.

Investigators from the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office said the pack of dogs didn’t belong to anyone, though some people in the community may have fed them.

Because the animals were feral and because Carlton Freeman and his relatives didn’t want to get anyone in trouble for his death, deputies won’t ticket or charge anyone criminally in the May 8 attack, according to a statement this morning from Lt. Tony Phinney.

Phinney said that the four dogs had lived in a shed on someone’s property, but that no one owned them...

Three bloodied dogs were removed from Goodwin’s land. Animal control officers set traps for the fourth, but it was never found.
Click to expand...
No charges in fatal dog mauling of 80-year-old Harleyville man in wheelchair – The Post and Courier
 
I wanted to first write what I did because it is a horrible thing.

From a less emotional or "connected-ness" perspective, phrasing in general in many of these cases so often seems to include "pit bulls". If a pack of Labradors were to be involved in this kind of thing, would the phrasing include "Labradors" or simply "dogs"?

Dogs in general will act differently in a group than alone. Feral dogs in general do not act the same as dogs socialized to people.
 
Back
Top