By Esteban L. Hernandez
New Haven Register
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The family of a woman fatally mauled by two dogs in June has filed a notice of intent to sue the city, alleging not enough was done to save the woman’s life.
According to the 1-page notice of intent to pursue legal action, the family of Jocelyn Winfrey claims emergency responders were not dispatched in time to save Winfrey’s life, despite multiple 911 calls made on June 20. Winfrey died at a hospital on June 27.
The legal notice is dated August 19 and was obtained by the New Haven Register on Thursday.
Attorney Karen E. Haley, of New Haven, confirmed the impending legal action and said the lawsuit is being brought by the victim’s mother and brother. Haley declined to comment further on the matter, citing the family’s privacy.
Winfrey’s brother, Charles Minchenko told the Register last week that, based solely on what he heard during a public workshop on vicious dogs, he felt more could have been done by emergency responder services to save his sister. The workshop also discussed best practices for responding to animal attacks as they occur. The workshop was held after Alder Brian Wingate decided to explore “vicious dog” legislation after witnessing the dog attack firsthand.
“This workshop brought some things to light,” Minchenko said last week. He was perplexed over why firefighters were not called to the scene, which was a concern that led the city to adopt new polices about which emergency services respond to ongoing animal attacks. Firefighters are now required to respond to calls of an animal bite in progress.
The two dogs involved in the attack were owned by Winfrey’s friend, Hamilton Hicks, who was issued a misdemeanor summons for alleged crack possession the evening of the attack. Hicks is named in the noticed as owner of the residence at 1519 Ella T. Grasso Blvd., where the attack took place. New Haven police have previously said no criminal charges against Hicks would be filed in the incident.
The city released the 911 calls nine days after the mauling and concluded all dispatch protocols established at that point had been followed. The caller, who did not provide many details about the severity of the attack, called twice to report the incident. The call and city logs suggested an ambulance arrived on scene about seven minutes after the first 911 call was placed at about 7:45 p.m. A city review concluded that medical personnel responded in a timely manner. Winfrey arrived at Yale-New Haven Hospital 18 minutes after the initial 911 call was placed.
However, the notice of intent to sue claims that at on the evening of June 20, at about 1730 hours (5:30 p.m.) Winfrey was attacked by the “two vicious dogs.” The dogs, two American bulldogs, were later euthanized. A Municipal Animal Control officer said last week during the workshop that the animals were vicious and had been described as highly aggressive in veterinary records. Those records recommended the two dogs be muzzled during vet visits.
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