A 10-year-old girl from Ohio was left with a fractured skull and 9-inch laceration on her head after her friend’s dog attacked her.
Her mother, Tierney Durmont, ran to her daughter Savannah Dumont and found her being surrounded by paramedics after sustaining lacerations to her ear, head, and hand.
Savannah was rushed to a hospital where she underwent a five-hour surgery.
Before the attack, Savannah loved being outside and she was the bubbliest child in the room, Tierney shared. However, the incident has had a psychological impact on her and left her not only with a fractured skull but also with depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
Savannah’s family is now campaigning to pass a law in her name to make unprovoked dog attacks a 5th-degree felony.
“The moment I found out Savannah was attacked I was horrified. We see these attacks all the time in the news, but you never think it will happen to your child or someone you know,” Tierney shared.
“I was so scared for her and wanted to take away all her pain. I knew things were bad and just knew we had to get her to the hospital.
“I felt sick to my stomach. I was in complete shock as I stood there and looked at my child completely covered in blood.
“Savannah was wearing a little white T-shirt that day and I remember it being soaked in blood, and blood dripping down to her new Adidas trainers that we had bought the previous month for her birthday. For some reason, those two images still stick in my head.”
Tierney said that her daughter had nine lacerations to the head, two to her right hand, and a large wound through her palm.
“She suffered a skull fracture and had to have a blood transfusion. She ended up needing a blood transfusion due to loss of blood,” she expressed.
“She gets nerve block injections every six weeks, and is on two medications to manage her headaches and nerve pain.”
The mother added: “Some days truly are hard but watching Savannah fight and keep pushing keeps us all going. Savannah always has a smile on her face and is never willing to give up.
“Unfortunately it has deeply changed our family forever. Not only did it affect Savannah physically but the mental stance it took on her really shook us.
“If we were going to go somewhere outside we had to call ahead and ask if dogs were allowed and that would determine if Savannah wanted to go or not. Even taking a walk in our neighborhood we had to be super cautious.”
Savannah is working ‘very hard’ on her mental health, and Tierney said that the she “still has days where she just wants to cry. Sometimes, she sees a specific dog and it brings her right back into the moment it happened and it’s a full panic attack.”
“Those are really hard to watch as a parent, and then when your child is in pain and you’ve done all you can do but nothing is working… It’s just heart-breaking,” she added.
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