Claims going ape
It has been revealed that a woman, who owns a chimpanzee is trying to reduce a compensation claim filed by a victim who was attacked by the animal.
A personal injury claim was filed after the female employee was mauled by the chimpanzee whilst she was at work in February 2009.
The incident occurred when the 200-pound chimpanzee named Travis went berserk when his owner, asked her friend and employee to help lure him back into her house.
What happened next is like something from a nightmare. The animal ripped off the employee’s hands, nose, lips and eyelids. Despite such horrific injuries, the victim, remains in stable condition at a clinic.
Her family commented that she has walked on hospital grounds and has kept her sense of humour.
A spokesperson from the victim’s family said: “People have asked about [the victim] and what she is really feeling. [She] has accepted her losses. She accepts that she cannot change this."
They added: “She also understands how someone in her situation can be a source of hope for others but finds it difficult to understand that that person is her. She is not use to being the centre of attention.”
The lawyer defending the owner stated that the attack should be treated like a workers' compensation claim.
However, the claimant’s injury lawyer, Robert Golger, commented that the victim was working as an employee of the chimp owner's tow truck company at the time of the attack and therefore was a work-related incident.
Golger stated: “It's an unfortunate and tragic accident that happened in the workplace and should be subject to the provisions of the Connecticut workers' compensation statutes.”
If successful, the strategy would severely limit monetary damages and insulate the owner from personal liability.
The relatives filed a lawsuit claiming millions against the ape’s owner. The suit states that she was negligent and reckless for lacking the ability to control “a wild animal with violent propensities.”
The 14-year-old chimp was shot and killed by police when he tried to attack a police officer responding to the assault on the female.
Test results showed that Travis had the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in his system at the time of the attack, but investigators don't know whether the drug played a role.
Monkey business
In similar news, a couple have filed a compensation claim after they were attacked by two chimpanzees during a trip at a sanctuary.
The vicious attack by the pair of primates launched onto the elderly man a few years ago, is now turning into a big legal battle.
His injury lawyer, Ernest Algori, stated that the victim has had 75 surgeries since the attack at the County Animal Sanctuary.
He added that his client is still severely disabled from the attack that left him with half a face: “He has lost every finger, every toe. This man has been through an absolute living hell, and he has more surgeries in the future,” he stated.
A judge ruled the victims could sue the couple who owns the sanctuary for at least several millions while filing a separate claim against the sanctuary itself for millions more. The defendants have appealed the ruling.