Mother fatally bitten by dog during food fight

Michelle Hempstead, 34, a mother of five from Southend, Essex, died after her pet Rottweiler-mastiff cross, Trigg, bit her during a fight with her Pomeranian, Pom, over McDonald’s chicken nuggets on 29 July 2024; she died at the Royal London Hospital on July 30 after catastrophic blood loss and multiple organ failure. The inquest heard Trigg caught Hempstead’s upper left arm and severed an artery while snapping at Pom. Senior coroner Lincoln Brookes and her partner, Samuel West, described the incident as an “absolute freak accident” and said Trigg was normally gentle. Essex Police investigated and found no suspicious circumstances. Because Hempstead was the sole owner the dog was disclaimed under guidance that can lead to euthanasia, and the hearing recorded that the family had recently suffered the bereavement of Hempstead’s daughter weeks earlier.