Name: Courtney Berman
Victim: Adult
Location: Sitting on the curb outside my mom house. Not facing the owner or dog. California
Year of attack: 2020

Tell us about the attack
On April 5th 2020 I was sitting on the curb outside my mom’s house on a phone call when something suddenly pulled me back onto the sidewalk. At first I wasn’t sure what it was. I thought maybe it was a person trying to get my attention, but as I turned around, I realized there was a huge pit bull, biting my tricep. I remember the pain as his teeth sunk into my skin. I remember being confused at first and thinking that maybe he was playing with me. I tried to move my arm, to shake him off, but he just kept biting me. Harder and harder. I remember looking up at the owner who also looked scared and realizing then that I was in danger. All I know is that it felt like it lasted forever. And I remember thinking as he dragged me into the street that if I didn’t get up, this pit bull was going to kill me.

How has your life changed as a result of the attack?
I wake up every morning just to realize that what happened to me was not “just a dream”. And it’s always in those first few seconds, when the pain in my elbow starts to spread up my arm, and my right thigh-where the skin graft was taken starts to burn, that I realize, this is my new life. I’m grateful. Please don’t misunderstand. I am so incredibly grateful for the longest list of things. I’m grateful that I have my arm. That I can move my fingers. I’m grateful that more muscles and tendons were not permanently damaged. I’m grateful that the pit bull didn’t grab my neck. That he didn’t bite my face. And that he didn’t somehow manage to get on top of my body while I was laying helplessly on the floor. I know that I’m lucky. And there are these moments when I even feel it. Lucky.

Legal Consequences
The pit bull was euthanized.