An ‘emotional-support dog’ attacked him on a flight. He’s suing Delta and the owner.
A Delta Air Lines jet at LaGuardia Airport in New York. A man mauled by a emotional-support dog is suing the airline and dog owner following a 2017 incident. (Mary Altaffer/Associated Press)
By Paulina Firozi
May 29
- WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES
- Ronald Mundy, Jr. was on a flight from Atlanta to San Diego with his service dog
- Marlin Jackson was sitting in the window seat next to Mundy Jr on Sunday
- The dog growled at him before lunging at his face and mauling him twice
- The attack occurred before take off, and Jackson was taken to the hospital where he received 28 stitches; he is still awaiting consultation with a plastic surgeon
- Mundy was not charged in the incident and got on another flight with his dog, described as a Labrador retriever-pointer mix, in a kennel
PUBLISHED: 15:28 EDT, 8 June 2017 | UPDATED: 17:35 EDT, 8 June 2017
A passenger on a Delta flight who was mauled in the face by a veteran's emotional support dog released harrowing photographs of his wounds before he received 28 stitches.
Marlin Termaine Jackson was sitting in the window seat on Delta flight 1430 from Atlanta, Georgia, to San Diego, California, on Sunday, when he was attacked by Ronald Mundy Jr's service dog.
The lawsuit calls for a jury trial, and an unspecified amount in damages for pain and suffering, lost wages and medical expenses. But Massey said he hopes the lawsuit will also push Delta to enforce its policies so passengers can be assured animals on flights are safe or safely secured.
Before he took his seat, Jackson asked Mundy if the reportedly 50-pound dog — a “chocolate lab-pointer mix,” according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution — would bite, and the dog owner said Jackson would be safe.
“While Mr. Jackson was securing his seatbelt, the animal began to growl at Mr. Jackson and shift in Defendant Mundy’s lap,” the lawsuit reads. “Suddenly, the animal attacked Mr. Jackson’s face, biting Mr. Jackson several times. … The attack was briefly interrupted when the animal was pulled away from Mr. Jackson. However, the animal broke free and again mauled Mr. Jackson’s face.”
Massey said teeth punctured through Jackson’s gum, above his lip and beneath his nose. He has suffered permanent scarring, the complaint says, and his attorney said he still experiences numbness in the area, and has intermittent speech issues.
Before Delta makes further policy updates, Massey also called for training airline employees to enforce existing rules.
“I’m convinced that training would prevent this potential harm for somebody else,” he said.
Jackson had just taken his window seat in the 31st row for a June 2017 flight from Atlanta to San Diego when the dog, sitting on the lap of the passenger next to him, lunged for his face, pinning him against the window of the plane so he couldn’t escape, the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit states the dog was briefly restrained, before pinning Jackson against the window and mauling Jackson again, resulting in 28 stitches and permanent loss of sensation in his face. He bled so profusely that "an entire row of seats had to be removed."
The incident sparked national headlines, and tighter policies for emotional support and service animals. For example, Delta now requires proof of training, adding rules for the types and ages of the animals, as well the duration of flights that allow emotional support animals.
Jackson was mauled twice, and suffered several lacerations on his face, including a 'puncture through the lip and gum', according to a statement released by his attorney J. Ross Massey.
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Jackson was mauled twice, and suffered several lacerations on his face (above), including a 'puncture through the lip and gum', according to his attorney
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Jackson was mauled by Marine veteran Ronald Mundy Jr's service dog, described as a 50-pound Labrador retriever-pointer mix (above)
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The dog began growling shortly after Jackson (left) boarded the plane and sat down, witnesses said. Pictured right, Mundy with another dog
Jackson was in the window seat, while the dog's owner, Ronald Kevin Mundy Jr. of Mills River, North Carolina, was sitting in the middle seat with his dog on his lap.
The dog, described as a Labrador retriever-pointer mix, began growling shortly after Jackson boarded the plane and sat down, witnesses said.
According to Bridget Maddox-Peoples, another passenger on the plane told her that Jackson asked the owner, 'Is this dog going to bite me?'
'You could hear a dog growling and a bark and someone screamed 'I need help, there's a medical emergency.' The area was completely covered in blood,' Maddox-Peoples told Fox 5.
'The gentleman's face was completely bloody. His shirt was covered in blood,' Maddox-Peoples said. 'When he walked out, he had a cloth over his face.
Mundy pulled his dog off Jackson's face, but the animal broke free and attacked him a second time, according to Massey.
The attack occurred before the plane took off, and Jackson was transported to the emergency room where he received 28 stitches.
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Mundy (right) pulled his dog off Jackson's face, but the animal broke free and attacked Jackson (left) a second time, according to Massey
Jackson, who is likely to be permanently scarred, is awaiting a consultation with a plastic surgeon, Massey said.
The attorney issued a statement on Thursday, saying: 'We understand and respect the importance of emotional support and service animals, especially for our nation's veterans.
'We are also concerned with Delta Air Lines' compliance with their policies to ensure the safety of all passengers. It is troubling that an airline would allow a dog of such substantial size to ride in a passenger's lap without a muzzle.
'Especially considering the dog and its owner were assigned a middle seat despite Delta Air Lines' policies that call for the re-accommodation of larger animals.'
According to Delta, the airline 'complies with the Air Carrier Access Act by allowing customers traveling with emotional support animals or psychiatric service animals to travel without charge' as long as they provide documentation.
Delta's website also says trained service dogs are allowed to be in the cabin without a kennel.
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Witness Bridget Maddox-Peoples said she heard growling, a bark and then a scream
The dog was placed in a carrier and put on another flight with its owner, Delta said.
An unnamed witness told Fox 5 that Mundy was seen in the gate area cradling the dog in his arms, crying, and repeatedly saying, 'I know they're going to put him down.'
Mundy was not charged in the incident.
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fukking dumbass airlines they didn't learn the first time with this shyt...
