New York: Pit bull owners Delinda Mascolo and Rose Gardini ordered to pay $125,000 to victim

NEW YORK -- A Staten Island letter carrier, hurt when a dog "locked onto" his arm and bit him, has been awarded more than $125,000 by a jury, his lawyer said.

Michael Velardi, 38, was attacked by a 60-pound pit bull on Sept. 30, 2008, while delivering the mail on Naughton Avenue, on the Dongan Hills-Ocean Breeze border, said court papers.

The dog, named King, escaped from his yard and jumped onto Velardi, said the victim's lawyer, John J. Tracy.

The animal "locked onto" Velardi's left forearm and only let go after the letter carrier punched it several times in the face, Tracy said.

King continued attacking Velardi, who tried to escape by jumping onto a car hood. The dog didn't relent, forcing Velardi to scramble onto the vehicle's roof, Tracy said.

The hair-raising episode finally ended when the son of one of King's owners pulled him away, said the lawyer.

"It was a pretty vicious attack," said Tracy, a partner in the Castleton Corners law firm of Tracy & Stilwell.

Velardi, a Great Kills resident, suffered a torn arm muscle and two complex lacerations, said court papers.

His injuries prevented him from working for almost two months, and he incurred about $4,000 in medical expenses, said Tracy.

Velardi sued the dog's owners, Delinda Mascolo and Rose Gardini, in state Supreme Court, St. George.

The jury awarded him $125,952, Tracy said.

Lawyers for the defendants did not return telephone messages left last week seeking comment.

Justice John A. Fusco presided over the case.

(SILive - December 27, 2011)