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Woman Killed By Her Own Dog In Freak Chicken Nugget Accident
A 34-year-old woman was killed by her own dog in a freak chicken nugget accident.
Michelle Hempstead from Southend, Essex, U.K., died on 30 July 2024 after a fatal incident in her flat the day prior.
The mother of five owned two dogs, a Pomeranian called Pom and a mastiff rottweiler cross called Trigg.
At the inquest hearing in Chelmsford, Samuel West, Hempstead’s partner, told the court that she had bought McDonald’s food and ‘had a box of, I think, 20 nuggets.’
“She liked to throw them up in the air and the little one, Pom, was going for the big one, not aggressively, but he used to growl and snap when he wanted to get the nugget first,” West said.
Her partner, who witnessed the event, told the court that Pom had gone to get the chicken nugget when the bigger dog, Trigg, had done this thing where he chomps his mouth.’
The senior coroner, Lincoln Brookes, explained that Pom ‘had a go at Trigg, prompting Trigg to ‘go to bite him or snap at him, and this is a big dog with big jaws.’
Tragically, during the altercation between the two dogs, Trigg caught Hempstead’s upper left arm and severed an artery when it went to nip at the smaller dog.
The 34-year-old was taken to the hospital but died the next day at the Royal London Hospital.
Hempstead sustained traumatic blood loss, which led to multiple organ failure.
Her partner told the court that it didn’t look like the dog had intentionally grabbed the woman’s arm.
“He just went to do a chomping thing and caught her under the arm,” West shared.
West also described it as an ‘absolute freak accident.’
Hempstead’s partner said Trigg ‘didn’t have a bad bone in his body,’ and had never shown his teeth and slept on her bed.
He also stated that Hempstead had previously fed Trigg food from her own mouth, and the small dog Pom was in ‘charge.’
Police bodycam footage used in the inquest hearing, West can be heard saying Hempstead ‘threw the nugget up in the air – she was just caught in the crossfire.’
The senior coroner, who concluded her death as accidental, said: “Michelle Hempstead died of the consequences of traumatic blood loss following a single bite from her large dog in her home, which severed an artery.
“The bite was not malicious and occurred when she was caught during a brief fight between her two dogs over food.”
Police previously said two dogs were seized from the address, the victim was their sole owner, and both dogs had been ‘disclaimed for destruction.’
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