Airport authority to pay medical bills for victim of K-9 attack
WSMV4 Investigates has uncovered three K-9 attacks at BNA since 2019.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The Metro Nashville Airport Authority has agreed to pay for the medical bills for a Kentucky school teacher who was bitten by a bomb-sniffing K-9 in 2022.
The settlement confirmation obtained by WSMV4 Investigates does not disclose how much Kelly Jones was paid, but she sued for $200,000 after being bitten by a K-9 as she was walking by the dog and his handler.
As part of the agreement to pay the entirety of her medical bills, Jones agreed to dismiss her case. Jones’ settlement is the second uncovered by WSMV4 Investigates in which a TSA-trained dog bit someone unprovoked.
In 2019, Paulina Yescas sued after she was bit at the airport by a bomb-sniffing dog. Yescas said after attorney fees were paid, she was only awarded $3,000.
Our investigation also uncovered that in 2021, two airport officers were attacked by a bomb-sniffing dog. One of the officers had the tip of his finger bitten off.
According to the incident reports, in none of the cases were the animals provoked by the victims.
WSMV4 filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the TSA to try and determine if K-9s have bitten other people at airports across the country. We are still waiting for the results of that request.
If there’s anything you want WSMV4 Investigates to know about, you can contact us here.
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