June 2026 Newsletter Rana Law Group Newsletter In this issue: High Profile Dog Attack Product Recalls Lag Just for Fun: Washington, DC

High Profile Dog Attack Last week, local celebrity Steve Ewing (owner of Steve’s Hot Dogs and singer of The Urge and the Steve Ewing Band) experienced a devastating dog attack in Tower Grove Park (link is a YouTube video of the news report).  This story not only involves the type of case our office handles often but also features one of Tarun’s favorite St. Louis musicians.  During the attack, one dog was off leash (a municipal violation) and the other overpowered its owner to get loose.  Unfortunately, Steve’s wife suffered serious injuries and their family dog was killed during the attack.  After the incident, rather than render aid to Steve’s injured wife or provide documentation that the dogs are properly vaccinated, the owners of the two pit bulls fled the scene of the crime.

Steve asked the public for  help in identifying the culprits, in the hope for not only accountability but to prevent this from happening to someone else.  We wrote about dog bites back in our September 2023 newsletter but, since such a high profile case just occurred, we thought we would revisit the liability dog owners face under the law when they leave their house or invite individuals over to their property, whether a guest or other invitee such as a laborer.  Owning a dog is a wonderful experience with many benefits, but we urge everyone to keep the following list in mind to keep yourself, the public and your dog safe:

1. Be honest in evaluating your dog’s temperament in a given situation.  Almost everyone whose dog bites someone says their dog is normally calm/sweet/etc.  That may be true when the dog is around the family, however, strangers or other dogs can sometimes cause an otherwise “good” dog to bite.
2. Be able to physically control your animal at all times.  This may involve putting the dog in a room when guests are over, being strong enough to control it on a leash, or using a special harness or collar.
3. Keep your pet up to date on all shots.
4. Check your homeowner’s policy to make sure your dog is included.  Some specific breeds may be exempt from liability.
5. Do not leave the scene of a bite and cooperate with all authorities, especially in providing vaccination records to avoid a victim potentially having to get VERY expensive rabies shots.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission relies on injury reports they receive from the public.  If you were injured or even nearly injured by a product, we highly recommend you report the incident on their website.  They also have a search function to see if other reports have been filed so that you can investigate a product before purchasing.  The safest thing to do is research any product you feel might be a threat.  For instance, the pressure cooker mentioned earlier is a kitchen gadget that gets very hot under pressure so, intuitively, it may be worth taking the time to investigate to see if there are any problems reported (there were).  While we do not personally handle Products Liability cases at Rana Law Group, we can often put our clients in touch with other lawyers who do this area of law.  Hoping everyone has a safe summer!

With the excitement surrounding the Artemis moon missions, it was neat to see a replica of the last moon lander.  Talk about an unsafe vehicle!

In anticipation of America’s 250th birthday, a visit to George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon was also on the list, which was especially cool because he went on Memorial Day.

The view Washington had from his back porch was a highlight!  No wonder he “worked remotely” from home – what a view!