‘I figured I was dead.’ Ohio man survives attack by friend’s pit bull…

Michael Palmer is a broken man.

He lives in fear, crashes on friends’ couches and feels uncomfortable when strangers stare at him.

This is all new to Palmer, now 51.

In December 2022, Palmer was viciously attacked by a friend’s pit bull at her Green home. Piper, the dog, bit off his ears, thumbs, an index finger and part of his nose.

Palmer can no longer work as a machinist, play guitar or pick up small items.

“I don’t like to go in public,” Palmer said in an interview at his attorneys’ office in Akron. “I go to stores and people stare. Some of them ask. I’d rather them ask than just stare and walk away.”

Palmer, who is living in Lakemore, said he mostly goes out at night when his injuries aren’t as noticeable.

After spending nearly three months in hospitals and going through seven surgeries, Palmer faces half a dozen more operations, along with constant PTSD and nightmares.

Keys or coins rattling together sound like a dog chain to Palmer, sending him into a panic.

“It puts the fear of a dog in my mind,” he said. “I see shadows of dogs all the time. I hear a dog bark and it’s pretty tough.”