In its answer to a lawsuit filed by the family of a man who was gored to death by a mountain goat in Olympic National Park in 2010, the U.S. Attorney's Office is blaming the victim and the plaintiffs for the fatal incident. The government attorney also denied that the goat that killed the victim was Klahhane Billy, a notoriously dangerous animal that park officials had been aware of for years.

We previously discussed the facts surrounding this wrongful death lawsuit against the Department of the Interior in our Aug. 17 blog post. The victim was hiking in Olympic National Park on Oct. 16, 2010 with his wife and a friend. While the three ate lunch, a mountain goat approached him. The three retreated but the goat chased them for a half-mile to a mile before goring the victim in the leg with one of its horns.

The horn punctured the man's femoral artery. He died within five minutes of the attack. His wife and friend were unable to administer first aid because the goat continued to menace them.

A park ranger killed the goat later that day. An attorney representing the plaintiffs said the goat was Klahhane Billy, a 370-pound animal that had repeatedly harassed hikers at the park. The U.S. attorney's response said that the mountain goat's identity could not be proven. She also claimed that the victim's "injuries and damages, if any, were caused by their own negligent acts ... or failure to exercise due care on their part."

The wrongful death suit seeks a little over $10 million in damages.

Source: Peninsula Daily News, "Government says it's not at fault for goat-goring death in Olympic National Park," Paul Gottlieb, Jan. 26, 2012