AN OSWESTRY woman whose fingertip was bitten off by a dog while campaigning for the Liberal Democrats wants volunteers to know if they are covered by insurance.

Julia Hale was out leafleting for Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan ahead of local and a potential General Election in 2024 when her left index fingertip was bitten clean off by a dog when she put her hand through a letterbox.

She has since found out that because the injury was the result of third-party action, meaning it was not directly because of the Liberal Democrats, she was not protected by the party's public liability insurance.

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“I want volunteers to be aware and to check with the organisations they are with, be it political parties or anything else, that they are covered,” she said.

“This is for in case anything happens to them like me where I’ve been left with the stump of a finger.

“I want volunteers to be aware, especially this year when we have local and possibly a national election, where parties will use them for support.

“I just want them to know whether they are covered by the public liability insurance of the party they are volunteering for – that is my main concern.”

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE AHEAD

Julia explained that on Friday, February 16, she was leafleting for the Lib Dems when she was bitten in Broomhall Lane.

She added: “To be perfectly honest, it wasn’t very painful but that was because the adrenaline set in – you hear that of amputees like soldiers who say it’s not that painful because the adrenaline kicks in.

Border Counties Advertizer: The missing fingertip of Julia's left hand.The missing fingertip of Julia's left hand. (Image: Julia Hale.)

“I rang the bell to make the property owner aware and they told me it was the daughter’s dog and they then rushed me to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and there I was seen straight away in A&E.

“I had an x-ray and was given a tetanus shot and then it was cleaned before seeing a consultant who planned to see the wound.

“I don’t sleep well because I don’t want to bang it but the pain is more now as well as phantom pain from where I think I have the fingertip.”

A Liberal Democrat spokesperson confirmed that as the injury was suffered through a third party, Julia was not covered by its insurance.

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He said: “This was a deeply upsetting incident and our thoughts and sympathies are with Julia at this distressing time.

“We have insurance in place for volunteers. However sadly in incidents such as this, as in most cases of dog bites, legal liability lies with the owner of the dog.

“We have provided Julia with support, given her advice about how to make a claim against the dog owner and offered her access to counselling following this horrific incident."