On the way home from a friend’s graduation party, Ewelina Svenson, 23, was bitten in the face by a dog.
The police investigation was dropped – now she is fighting for compensation.
– You can’t be angry at a dog, but you can be critical of everything around you, she says.
The article in brief
Ewelina, 23, was attacked by a dog and badly injured in the face.
The police investigation was closed – now she pursues the case privately.
The friend Mimmi has supported through the entire process.
It is a June evening in Norrköping 2024. Mimmi Björk, 21, has graduated and the celebration has been going on all evening.
On the way home, Mimmi and her friend Ewelina hear someone shouting. It turns out to be a man with a dog, whom they met earlier in the evening.
They stop and talk, and Ewelina bends down to greet the leashed dog.
“Be nice”
After a short while the dog begins to growl. The man says to the dog: “Balto, be nice”.
Almost immediately afterwards, the dog lunges at Ewelina.
– I immediately thought: this was not good, she says.
But it is Mimmi who sees the blood first.
It runs down Ewelina’s hands, drips onto the asphalt and forms small dark spots on the ground. A few people nearby stop. A resident of the house hears the voices and comes downstairs with a first aid kit, and Mimmi calls 112.
– I saw how much blood there was and immediately thought that this is serious. It wasn’t a small wound, it was really a lot, she says.
Operation in Linköping
It is only on the way to the hospital in Linköping that she asks Mimmi to take a picture.
– Then I immediately understood that it was worse than I thought. It wasn’t just a jack, but a major injury.
At the hospital, surgeons cut away dead tissue. Skin that has begun to blacken, skin sludge that cannot be saved. They try to preserve as much muscle as possible.
– The doctors said that this type of operation is often done under anesthesia, but that they could not wait. It was brutal to see, says Mimmi.
– In the end, I couldn’t see anymore and had to go outside and vomit.
After the wounds have healed, the damage is both visible and noticeable, in the form of, among other things, loss of sensation.
Photo: Private
Afterwards, Ewelina lived on a liquid diet for several days and was on sick leave for almost a month. Once the wound has healed, the damage is not always clearly visible from a distance. But it is noticeable in everyday life.
The sensation in the lower lip is partially gone. When she drinks, it can flow without her noticing. When she talks for a long time, her speech may become slurred and she may start to drool.
– It feels tense all the time, as if the skin is not quite enough. I especially notice it when I talk a lot or when I eat and drink, says Ewelina.
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The investigation was closed
The police came to the hospital on the night of the attack. It is the only time Ewelina talks to them.
– I was on morphine and was shocked. That is the only questioning that was done with me, she says.
– I hardly remember what I said. It feels strange that this is the basis for the entire assessment.
The months go by. In the end, Ewelina calls the police herself.
– Then I learned that the investigation was closed just three days after the incident.
Mimmi Björk and Ewelina Svenson, before the dog attack.
Photo: Private
The justification is that it is not possible to prove that the dog owner was negligent. The police regret that she did not find out that the investigation was closed, and refer further questions to the prosecutor.
– But we don’t know what the police have actually done. Have they talked to him? Have they heard witnesses? Have they even been there, asks Mimmi.
When Ewelina tries to get compensation, she receives the message that the dog owner lacked insurance at the time. She had to orient herself between insurance companies, authorities and crime victims’ help desks.
– It was like constantly ending up at the next instance, which in turn said they couldn’t help, she says.
In the end, Ewelina felt that there was only one option left. She will sue the dog owner privately.
– I have had to study on my own and take help where I can. I have even used ChatGPT to understand some legal issues. Maybe that says something about how alone you are in the process.
Throughout the process, the friend Mimmi has been close. They have been best friends for over six years and hear each other every day, even though they now live in different cities.
– I have probably been the one who could bear to be angry when Ewelina was tired. The one who called around, questioned and wasn’t released, says Mimmi with a tremor in her voice.
Oral preparation now awaits in the district court. But for Ewelina, the process is not primarily about money.
– It’s about it not just disappearing without consequences.
– You can’t be angry with a dog. But you can be critical of how everything around you has been handled, says Ewelina.
