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To Our Lawyer Friends – Who’s Really at Fault in Sea Lion Attack?
From CNN.com:
Video has emerged of a little girl being dragged off a pier and into the water (a few weeks ago) by a sea lion in British Columbia. The girl’s family reportedly had been feeding the sea lion and whistling or holding their hands over the water, as if they were holding a treat. The video shows the emboldened creature (of the family otariinae) emerge from the water, and in one swift movement, grab the girl’s dress with its mouth and pull her under.
A man jumped in to rescue her, and she was quickly pulled onto the pier and led away. But make no mistake about it: She walked away not because she was saved. She is alive because she’s not appetizing to sea lions. This easily could have turned into a (very preventable) tragedy.
We just don’t seem to learn. Wild animals are not our friends.
Is anyone liable in this case? No. First, this happened in Canada. American and Canadian personal injury laws have procedural similarities, but Canada is considered a more conservative jurisdiction, less favorable to plaintiffs.
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