Pet piranha bites off Illinois toddler's fingertip
Piranha at ZSL London Zoo on March 25, 2010 in London, England.
Photographer: Oli Scarff
Copyright Getty Images
Posted: 06/23/2012
-
By: Associated Press
CHICAGO - Chicago-area parents thought their pit bull was to blame when they heard their 18-month-old daughter crying and discovered one of her fingertips had been severed.
Turns out, the culprit was a piranha the family kept in an aquarium.
Doctors determined the bite wasn't from a dog after the girl was rushed to a hospital by ambulance Tuesday night.
Cook County Sheriff's Department spokesman Frank Bilecki tells the Chicago Tribune the girl's father cut open one of two piranhas and found the fingertip. He says doctors tried to reattach the fingertip, but he didn't know if they were successful.
He didn't immediately respond to messages left Saturday by The Associated Press, and a hospital spokesman couldn't provide the information.
Bilecki says the parents were distraught and aren't facing charges.
Associated Press
PRINT
Did You Hear?
-
POWERBALL: What to do if you win
What happens if you beat the tough odds and hold the winner Powerball ticket? You celebrate. Then what?
-
AZ news quiz: Did you pay attention?
There was a lot happening in the news around Arizona this past week. How much of it do you remember?
-
What the IRS scandal means for you?
The IRS is currently under fire for apparently targeting conservative groups.
-
More National
-
Witness: Car crashes into VA parade
Witnesses in southwestern Virginia said a car drove into a crowd at a parade Saturday and hurt several people, but the nature of their injuries wasn't immediately known.
-
FBI investigates ricin letters in WA
-
What the IRS scandal means for you?
-
Town rebuilding after Texas storms
-
Plane lands with no landing gear in NJ
-
Report: NKorea launches 3 missiles
