A young girl lost both of her feet after getting involved in a freak accident while playing in the back of her parents’ truck.
6-year-old Aubrey Scaletta from Virginia was playing with a ratchet strap in the back seat of her dad’s pickup truck when the cargo belt suddenly got caught up with the drive shaft causing it to tighten around the girl’s legs.
In the shocking May 17 incident, both of the child’s feet were severed as a result of tightened cargo belt typically used for transporting heavy goods.
After suffering the horrific injuries, Aubrey was rushed to Roanoke Memorial Hospital for emergency surgery in hopes of having her feet reattached to her limbs.
“One end of the strap went out the window and became wrapped around the [vehicle’s] drive shaft. As the strap turned around the drive shaft, Aubrey was almost pulled out of the window and the tightening strap severed her feet,” Virginia State Police Association confirmed in a statement.
It was also revealed that Aubrey’s younger sister, Jackie, witnessed the entire ordeal while sitting next to her sibling.
Though both of the girl’s feet were successfully reattached in the emergency procedure, it is believed she has at least several more surgeries and a long physical therapy ahead before she will be able to walk again.
“Both feet seem to be receiving good blood flow after being reattached, and as of this morning, doctors have taken off the ventilator,” sources from the police told WSLS.
Speaking out was also the child’s mother, Lauren Wensel Scaletta, who revealed that the family hopes to get the young girl out of the ICU as soon as possible.
“Right now it looks like we may leave the hospital at the end of June in a wheelchair with elevated legs. As we imagined, Aubrey will need PT when we get out,” she said.
“Since she is so young it will be done on an outpatient / home plan instead of a rehab facility. The surgery team’s goal is to have her walking with braces, walkers and things by Christmas! While we realize these things are not guaranteed, it was nice to hear what could be.”
She added: “This has been both the longest and shortest days of our lives. We have held our breath and moved hour by hour most of the time we have been in the PICU.
“Everyone has done their very best to take care of our girl and we couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. Aubrey is one tough cookie and we are following her lead as best we can. My princess monster is such a warrior.”
A GoFundMe page was set up for the family to help them with their medical expenses during this challenging time.
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