A northwest side Chicago man faces a mountain of bills and a long road to recovery after a pit bull bit off a portion of his face over the weekend.
Bill Lesinski was visiting his downstairs neighbor at their home near O'Hare International Airport on Friday when the dog, named Monster, attacked him.
"When I crouched down, the dog just lunged at me and grabbed me by the face," said Lesinski. "I have a torn part of the septum, the bottom part of my septum, and they have to reconstruct my whole nose."
That reconstruction will require about six surgeries throughout the next nine to 12 months and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, he said doctors told him.
The sole proprietor of a towing company, A1Dependable Roadside Assistance, Lesinski said he couldn't yet afford insurance and said he worries about the effect the mauling will have on his business.
"This is really going to hurt my business to where I may lose my business," he said.
Still, Lesinski said he has no animosity toward the dog, which he's known since it was a pup, and his friend. Though he said he believes the dog could have been better raised.
"This dog has attacked my dogs in the past a couple times. I think that's why the dog attacked me because it smelled my animals on me and when I crouched down the dog felt dominated at that time," he explained. "It's not the dog's fault. I own pit bulls myself. I have for over 20 years. My dogs have never been aggressive or hurt anybody. It's basically how pit bulls are raised."
The dog is currently with Chicago's Animal Care and Control. Lesinski said he wants the dog put down to make sure it doesn't attack another animal or person.
Lesinski said he will set up a fund at TCF Bank near his home in the hopes that donations to help offset his bills will come in.
His neighbor, a man in his 20s who is currently between jobs, said that while he's sympathetic, he says he can't financially help his friend. He hopes Animal Care and Control will give him his dog back after a week-long analysis.
