Gwinnett man could have lost leg to severe wounds

Xiaohong Davis was preparing dinner at her Lawrenceville home Monday afternoon when she noticed she hadn’t heard from her 77-year-old father since he left for his daily walk to Ronald Reagan Park.

She searched for him in the neighborhood where they both live before getting in her car and driving up and down Five Forks Trickum Road, hoping to find him. She went to the park, fearing he may have had a stroke because he has high blood pressure.

She was searching the park when she got a call from an emergency room nurse at Gwinnett Medical Center. Davis’ father, Zhongkai Mao, had been attacked by two dogs and needed immediate surgery.

Mao was one of three people seriously injured after being attacked by the dogs, who had gotten loose from a home on Rosa Drive in Lawrenceville. Gwinnett County Animal Welfare captured the dogs and cited their owners. The dogs were euthanized and tested negative for rabies.

Mao was walking back home from Ronald Reagan Park when the dogs jumped on him and began attacking, according to Lina Sambataro-Christian, a witness to the attack. Sambataro-Christian was driving when she saw the dogs attack Mao, and she immediately pulled over and began trying to pull them off, she said. Other drivers soon joined and were able to free Mao from the dogs within a minute, she said.

Mao suffered extensive wounds. His most severe were on his left leg, with three gaping “holes” that exposed bone and muscle tissue, Davis said. Doctors told Davis that Mao would likely have lost his left leg if surgery had not been performed immediately. His leg could still be in jeopardy if he develops an infection, Davis said.

Both of Mao’s arms are “bundled all the way up” with bandages and his body is covered in stitches, Davis said. Mao was in surgery for more than two hours Monday evening and is still in the hospital.

Doctors believe he may need skin grafts, but parts of his arms and legs are so damaged that grafts can not be performed until he heals further, Davis said.

Mao was unable to communicate with Sambataro-Christian and the other people who helped him because he does not speak English.