Letter carrier dies after being ambushed by a rottweiler in Oceanside, California.
Fatal Brain Injury
Oceanside, CA - A 33-year old letter carrier died earlier this month after a rottweiler lunged at him along his Oceanside route, causing him to fall and suffer a fatal head injury. Letter carrier Hao Yun "Eddie" Lin encountered the dog while delivering mail on May 25 in the 500 block of Stanley Street, according to postal inspector Slivia Torres. Oceanside police were alerted to the incident at about 4:13 pm that afternoon and found Lin lying in the street with a severe head injury.
According to the victim's wife, Teri Lin, doctors induced a coma to try to control severe brain swelling. But he did not recover. Eddie Lin died from the injuries June 3. A coroner's report shows the cause of death as "blunt head trauma." Lin leaves behind his wife and three children ---- a 10-year-old girl, 4-year-old boy and a 5-month old girl. San Diego Humane Society, who has the animal control contract for Oceanside, said the dog was euthanized at the owner's request.
On Friday, Teri Lin told North County Times she's frustrated that officials still aren't sure exactly what led to her husband's death. She said she knows the dog somehow pushed or jumped on her husband, but she doesn't know how it got out, where it came from, or how her husband reacted -- whether he tried to use Mace, fight or flee. She heard he had a tear on the back of his uniform, and she also heard that the same rottweiler attacked a different letter carrier four years ago.
The postal inspector said that investigators were still trying to "piece together" exactly what happened. Torres said they have talked to witnesses, but have not finished their work. North County Times could not determine if the Oceanside Police Department was conducting its own investigation; telephone messages left with supervisors on Friday were not returned. Teri said her husband was devoted to her family. A funeral is scheduled Thursday at Rose Hill Cemetery.
Noted:
Incidents involving non-dog bite injury1 that led to fatal brain injury in the past year include: letter carrier Hao Yun "Eddie" Lin, Animal Control Officer Theresa Foss, knocked to the ground by a pit bull and Beverly Head, knocked to the ground after being entangled in a leash as a mountain biker riding alongside with his two huskies passed her on a trail. It's interesting that even non bite-related deaths by dogs involve the top killing dog breeds: Pit bulls, rottweilers and huskies.2
2From January 1, 2005 to March 8, 2010, DogsBite.org recorded 158 U.S. fatal dog attacks. Pit bulls were responsible for 56% (88) of these deaths. Rottweilers, the second leading killer, accounted for 15% (23) and huskies took third position with 6% (9).
Related articles:
10/11/09: "Non Bite" Pit Bull Injury Leads to Death of Plainfield AC Officer
09/09/09: Elderly Woman Suffers Broken Hip and Crushed Wrist After Pit Bull Attack
It doesn't matter if the dog didn't delver the fatal bite. If the rottweiler was not loose and had not lunged at this man, he would be alive.
the second attack on a mail carrier for this dog, that we know about. i don't understand why manslaughter charges are not being brought against the owner.
"I'm just so frustrated with them." Teri Lin said she can't get any answers from either, "every time I go down there they keep saying the case is not assigned yet. I don't even know if they're doing an investigation and it seems like they're blowing me off."
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http://www.10news.com/news/23889046/detail.html
Had this man been assaulted by a human being, the police would be all over the case. But Eddie was merely killed by a dog. "These things happen." Our condolences Teri Lin…
One can only hope that Teri sues the hell out of the USPS for their miserable investigation that excludes telling the victim's wife any information!
I think Rotties are great animals but ONLY when trained and controlled by intelligent owners.
This is typical behavior — not of the breed — but of the USPS, who I worked for briefly in 2001. They send carriers out w/o decent delivery maps, w/o clear guidelines, in vehicles that often aren't safe, etc.
I used to have to deliver mail to a ski lodge where a pack of 5 huge dogs (2 of them pitbull mixes) roamed loose, terrorizing mail carriers and anybody else who wandered onto the property. The USPS finally stopped delivering mail to the address and the owner locked his dogs up.
I think the animal should be put down and the owner(s) charged with negligence and I think the family of this carrier should sue the USPS.
"There are no criminal charges pending according to Oceanside police."
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http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Postal-Carrier-Died-After-Dog-Attack-Report-96310374.html
Letter carrier Hao Yun “Eddie” Lin was working overtime covering his co-worker’s Oceanside mail route when he apparently caught a Rottweiler’s attention through a window….
Authorities said the Rottweiler was able to push a door open to get outside, and the dog chased Lin down the block and apparently lunged or jumped on him, causing him to strike his head on the ground.
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http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jun/14/wife-seeks-answers-in-mail-carrieraposs-death/
This is sad, there should be legislation in place for nonbite injuries! He leaves behind a wife and three young children, the two youngest will more than likely never remember their father except through photos and family telling them about him. They will be immersed in medical bills for a long time. All because of a dog. This family needs justice!!
The dog owner speaks:
"I feel sorry for her and everything, but what can I do? It's already over. Life's lost," dog owner James Beatty said.
Beatty told News 8 he and his father own the dog. He said they've never had any trouble with the four-year old Rottweiler, and the dog simply ran out of the front door. "I wasn't here that day. (The dog) hit the door somehow and the door flew open," Beatty said.
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http://www.760kfmb.com/Global/story.asp?S=12675191
It never ceases to amaze me how many owners of aggressive dogs have dogs that just somehow magically get out of their houses. Is it because they have vicious dogs, so they think they don't need to lock or secure their front doors the way normal people do? I hope the family sues them to high heaven.