Home Health Worker Mauled On Job By 4 Large Dogs: Lawsuit

JOLIET, IL — A home health worker was mauled by four large dogs while on a job at a Joliet residence, according to a lawsuit filed in Will County court.

Letisia Rivera went to the McKinley Street home of Joyce Caldwell and Roman Nastych to provide health care for a resident in January 2014, the lawsuit said.

When Caldwell opened the door for Rivera, the four dogs emerged from the house and attacked her, the suit said, “jumping on her and biting her.”

Rivera was “able to free herself of the dogs and entered into the residence … in an effort to get away from the attacking dogs,” the lawsuit said, while Caldwell managed to keep the animals outside.

But Caldwell “then for some reason unknown to (Rivera), allowed one of the dogs back into the residence,” the suit said. This dog, a large black pit bull named Dido, attacked Rivera again, “biting her in numerous areas including her left wrist.”

One of the other dogs involved in the attack was also a black pit bull, according to the lawsuit, another “appeared to be a German shepherd and pit bull mix” and the fourth was a “gray dog which appeared to (Rivera) to be at least part pit bull.”

Rivera suffered injuries to her head, torso, arms, hands, wrists, shoulders, buttocks, back, neck, nerves and nervous system, the lawsuit said.