Aubrey Scaletta, 6, was playing with a ratchet strap when suddenly one end of the strap went out the window and wrapped itself around the drive shaft. The other end of the strap wrapped around the young girl's feet and severed them.
A 6-year-old in Virginia is receiving loads of support from her community after being involved in a tragic accident that resulted in her losing both her feet.
Aubrey Scaletta was playing with a ratchet strap in the passenger seat of a pickup truck on May 17, when one end of the strap went out the window and wrapped itself around the drive shaft.
In a tragic turn of events, the other end of the strap became wrapped around Aubrey’s feet and as the strap quickly tightened, her feet were severed, according to the Virginia State Police Association.
The young girl was then airlifted to a hospital where she underwent a six-hour surgery and will possibly face more in an attempt to repair her injuries, said the police.
Doctors were able to reattach her severed feet, according to WSLS. The 6-year-old is stable but still has a long road ahead of her, her mother, Lauren Scaletta, said in a Facebook post.
“The injuries are horrible and painful for all involved. Aubrey, Aubrey’s sister and Aubrey's parents are having a real hard time coping with this painful tragedy. They need our love and they need our help financially,” the VSPA said.
In an update from the family on their GoFundMe page on Thursday, they said Aubrey has been taken off the ventilator and is now breathing on her own. They also are hopeful she will be moved from the ICU to the pediatric floor over the weekend if all goes well, said the update.
“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,” said the family. “Everyone has done their very best to take care of our girl and we couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.”
Aubrey's next scheduled surgery is on June 9, and the hope is to be able to leave the hospital by the end of June, said the update.
After leaving the hospital, Aubrey will then have physical therapy at home and the goal is to have her walking again, with the help of braces and walkers, by Christmas, according to the family.
“This is going to be a very long, winding road for us. She has already gotten a fan club here at the hospital with her dancing and smiles. Her spunk is very evident with her displeasure of the ventilator and legs being kept down,” said Lauren in a Facebook post. “The love everyone has show has been tremendous. We are beyond blessed. We can’t thank you enough!”
