‘Fighting for her life.’ Tree limb falls in wind and fractures Kansas girl’s skull
A 7-year-old girl was outside with her brothers when strong Kansas winds sent a tree limb down onto her head, according to a local news report.
Her mom, Jenna Jones, told WIBW the elm tree branch fell from about 30 feet up in St. Mary’s on Saturday, April 23.
That falling limb hit with enough impact to force the girl down, fracturing her skull on both sides of her head, according to an update in a Facebook group created to share updates about her.
As the girl is “fighting for her life” while in a coma, Ruth Ann Parks has been sharing updates on her condition with friends and family in the group.
Family and friends are also asking for prayers for the St. Mary’s Grade School second grader and raising funds for her family via a GoFundMe.
The evening of the incident, Parks shared that the girl is “facing a mountain” in her journey to recovery from a traumatic brain injury.
“Today has been rough. About as rough as anyone could expect in a situation like this,” she wrote. “One moment you are fine, running, excited for your first Softball practice, and playing, and the next, you are fighting for your life.”
While it was too soon to know how much brain damage the girl was facing, Parks shared that a main brain artery was bleeding and that the young child had a seizure.
She was placed on sedation and intubation to help her rest and breathe.
Family of the girl did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on April 27.
“We are not going to have fear of all the unknowns right now. Everything about this situation has been impossible,” Parks shared on April 25. “The probability, that something like this could even occur in the first place, required that every single minute detail of Saturday Morning had to line up, to the exact second, and place. Therefore we place our hopes, that the odds of healing and recovery are in just as great of an alignment of possibility.”
Four days after the child was hospitalized, Parks shared a couple of wins — she is responding to pain when doctors test removing the paralytic, and she may not need surgery if swelling continues to go gown.
She is described as “love and light,” a “good friend,” and someone who shows love to all who are around her.
“We believe in miracles. We believe in her ability to fight,” Parks said. “She is so little, but dang is she mighty!! She is a wildest of flowers, marches to the beat of her own drum, a no approval needed kinda gal, and this little lady can do ANYTHING!!”
This story was originally published April 27, 2022 at 9:55 AM with the headline "‘Fighting for her life.’ Tree limb falls in wind and fractures Kansas girl’s skull."