8-Year-Old Girl Hospitalized After Dog Attack Outside Hollywood, Florida Apartment

A devastating dog attack in Hollywood, Florida left an 8-year-old girl hospitalized with severe facial injuries after she was bitten by a neighbor’s dog while returning home from school, according to reports from CBS News Miami and PEOPLE.

The attack occurred around 2:30 p.m. on Friday, October 24, as the young girl — who is autistic — was walking toward her apartment door with her mother, Keyrelly Jean Castro.

As the child ran ahead toward their front door, a neighbor’s dog suddenly approached and viciously attacked her, biting her face before bystanders were able to intervene.

“She was over there, and the dog attacked her,” the girl’s mother said in Spanish to CBS News Miami. Castro recounted how she screamed “kill it” as she tried desperately to save her daughter.

Photos obtained by the news outlet showed the child in bloodied clothing, with a bandage wrapped around her head as she clung to her mother. Witnesses said several neighbors rushed over to help and wrapped the girl’s head in a towel before Hollywood Fire Rescue arrived on scene.

The child was treated at the scene and then transported to a local hospital, where she remains in recovery.

According to the girl’s mother, this was not the first time the same dog had shown aggressive behavior. She told reporters that the animal attempted to attack her and her eldest daughter in September while they were moving furniture outside their apartment.

Video footage from that earlier incident reportedly shows the dog lunging and chasing them across the courtyard — still on its leash — before the owner intervened.

Jean Castro said she repeatedly expressed concerns to neighbors about the dog’s aggression but no preventive action was taken. Following this most recent attack, Hollywood Police confirmed that the dog has been removed from the property while the investigation continues.

Florida’s Dangerous Dog Laws and Owner Liability

Under Florida Statute §767.04, dog owners are strictly liable for injuries caused by their pets — regardless of whether the dog had previously shown aggression. This means that a victim does not have to prove negligence; only that the bite occurred in a public place or lawfully on private property.

If an owner knew or should have known about a dog’s dangerous tendencies, additional penalties and civil liability may apply under the Florida Dangerous Dog Statute (§767.12). Authorities can classify such dogs as “dangerous,” and owners may face criminal charges if they fail to take adequate precautions.

Legal Rights for Dog Bite Victims in Florida

Dog bite injuries — especially to the face and head of a child — often require extensive medical care, including reconstructive surgery, infection management, and long-term psychological treatment. Victims may be entitled to compensation for:

• Medical and surgical expenses
• Pain and suffering
• Permanent scarring or disfigurement
• Emotional trauma and post-traumatic stress
• Future therapy or counseling costs

If the owner’s negligence — such as failure to restrain the dog — contributed to the attack, punitive damages may also be available.

At Flanagan & Bodenheimer Injury and Wrongful Death Law Firm, we have represented numerous dog bite victims and families of children injured in preventable attacks across Florida.

These cases often require:

• Reviewing animal control and prior complaint records
• Interviewing witnesses and neighbors
• Obtaining security footage or cellphone video
• Working with medical and psychological experts to assess long-term impact

Our firm takes these cases personally — especially when the victim is a child — and we fight to hold negligent pet owners and landlords accountable.

If you or your child has been injured in a dog attack in Hollywood, Broward County, or anywhere in Florida, the attorneys at Flanagan & Bodenheimer Injury and Wrongful Death Law Firm are here to help.