For the first time, we're hearing from the UPS driver who was attacked by a pack of pit bulls near Puyallup last month.
KING 5 has obtained a recording from when the driver called 9-1-1 as he's fighting off the dogs.
Dispatcher: "911 what are you reporting?"
Driver: "Hi, I'm being attacked by five pit bulls. I'm a UPS driver."
UPS Driver Kevin Backlund was delivering a package to a gated property in east Puyallup last month when the dogs attacked him. He jumped on the back of a flatbed trailer to try to get away from the dogs.
Dispatcher: "Are you back on your rig?"
Driver: "No, I'm trapped on a trailer. I'm bleeding profusely out of my left leg."
The photos of the scene hint at how bad his injuries were. The incident report from Orting Valley Fire and Rescue said: "The driver was covered in blood, on top of a small trailer (4' off the ground) and had 1 of the pit bulls latched on his leg."
Dispatcher: "Do you need medical aid?"
Driver: "Yes, they got a vein. I'm bleeding profusely."
Backlund, a 59-year-old former Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper, suffered deep bites to both legs, tearing into the muscle and down to the bone in the left leg.
The owner of the dogs also called authorities to provide information on the incident. He insisted he warned the shipper about the dogs.
Dispatcher: "You said the shipper put on there 'No signature required. Dangerous dogs.' Does it say that on the label?"
Owner: "Ma'am I hate to tell you the label was full of blood."
Dispatcher: "Oh."
Owner: "I called the shipper, and the shipper informed me they have it in the UPS system."
According to a Pierce County Animal Control report, investigators found a small "Beware of Dog" sticker on the fence. An investigator asked the UPS Manager "if there were any instruction in their database not to enter the property and he stated there was not."
Owner [to dispatcher]: "I feel bad for the guy but you know the sad part about it, those dogs were doing their job. We have 3 million dollars worth of equipment in that lot, and those dogs were doing their job."
Backlund is still recovering from his injuries, and it could be months before he can return to work.
The Pierce County Prosecutors Office is currently considering felony dog bite charges in this case.
