Wife of man killed in swan attack sues lake owner for failing to consider danger

Devastated wife of father-of-two killed in vicious SWAN ATTACK sues lake owner for failing to consider the dangers of keeping territorial birds on the water

  • Anthony Hensley, 37, was hired by an Illinois condo complex to look after mute swans used to deter geese
  • In 2012, he fell out the kayak when one swan attacked him and continued to lunge as he tried to get to shore
  • The father-of-two drowned in the Bay Colony pond
  • His wife, Amy Hensley, is suing his employer and the condo complex
  • She claims they should have known the swans were 'dangerous and territorial'

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The wife of a man who drowned two years ago after a swan attacked him is suing his employer and the condo complex where he cared for the birds.

Amy Hensley filed the lawsuit last week, claiming the attack caused or contributed to the drowning of her husband Anthony Hensley.

She also contends that the defendants 'knew or should have known that mute swans are strongly territorial with a dangerous propensity to attack'.

Anthony Hensley, a father of two young daughters, tragically died in April 2012 after he toppled out of a kayak and into Bay Colony Pond in Des Plaines, Illinois, when the swan attacked.

The big bird continued to lunge at him as he tried to swim to shore, before he was dragged under water by the weight of his boots and clothes.

Fatal attack: Anthony Hensley, 37 (pictured with his wife Any) drowned after he was attacked by an aggressive swan at a Chicago pond in 2012

Fatal attack: Anthony Hensley, 37 (pictured with his wife Any) drowned after he was attacked by an aggressive swan at a Chicago pond in 2012

Anthony Hensley Anthony Hensley

Devoted father: Family described Anthony Hensley as a loving father to his two young daughters (pictured left and right)

He was pronounced dead at a hospital after dive crews scoured the 50-foot-deep pond to find him.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's office concluded he drowned and ruled his death an accident.

His father Raymond Hensley said at the time that his son was a good swimmer but didn't stand a chance against the aggressive bird.

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'It's tragic for him to have to spend the last few moments like that,' he told CBS Chicago.

'He’s going to be remembered as one of the most wonderful fathers in the world. A very good father, a very good husband; there wasn’t a mean bone in his body.'

Scene: Hensley drowned in this pond at the Bay Colony Drive condo complex in Des Plaines, Illinois, where he had tended to swans for 10 years

Scene: Hensley drowned in this pond at the Bay Colony Drive condo complex in Des Plaines, Illinois, where he had tended to swans for 10 years

'Upside down': Hensley fell out of the kayak (pictured) when he was attacked

'Upside down': Hensley fell out of the kayak (pictured) when he was attacked

For about 10 years, Anthony Hensley regularly tended to the swans at Bay Colony Drive condo complex. The swans were used to keep the geese away.

Police said he was checking on the mute swans near the condominiums when one of the swans moved towards him, causing him to roll off his kayak and into the water.

According to the suit, a 'mute swan is one of the heaviest flying birds, with males averaging about 24 to 26-pounds'.

The birds are also extremely aggressive and 'attack by smashing at their victims with bony spurs in the wings, accompanied by biting with their large bill,' the suit added, according to Chicago Tribune.

Tragic loss: Anthony Hensley, pictured with one of his daughters, had tended to the swans for 10 years before he died

Tragic loss: Anthony Hensley, pictured with one of his daughters, had tended to the swans for 10 years before he died

Heartbreaking: Anthony Hensley, pictured with one of his daughters, was wearing heavy clothes and boots that weighed him down in the water while being attacked by the big bird

Heartbreaking: Anthony Hensley, pictured with one of his daughters, was wearing heavy clothes and boots that weighed him down in the water while being attacked by the big bird

The suit against Bay Colony Drive condo complex, Hillcrest Property Management and Hensley's employer Knox Swan and Dog, LLC, claims premises liability and violations of Illinois' Animal Control Act. 

The act says that the owner of an animal that attacks a person in certain circumstances can be held liable for damages. The suit seeks an unspecified amount in damages. 

The defendants have not commented publicly on the case.

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