6-Year-Old Girl Hospitalized After Strap She Was Playing with While Riding in Truck 'Severed Her Feet'

Aubrey Scaletta was in emergency surgery for six hours "to repair her amputated feet," according to the Virginia State Police Association

A 6-year-old girl remains hospitalized in Virginia after her feet were severed in a "tragic accident" last month, according to loved ones.

Aubrey Scaletta “was playing with a ratchet strap” while riding in a pickup truck on May 17 when the incident occurred, according to a news release from the Virginia State Police Association (VSPA).

As she did so, one end of the strap flew out the window and got wrapped around the drive shaft. "Aubrey was almost pulled out of the window and the tightening strap severed her feet," the VSPA said.

The injured girl was transported to Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery for six hours “to repair her amputated feet.”

“The injuries are horrible and painful for all involved,” the VSPA said. “This is going to be a long process requiring long-term medical treatment and rehabilitation.”

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Aubrey is now in the pediatric unit and "will likely be in the hospital for a while," according to a GoFundMe campaign set up to support her family.

“Aubrey is our little miracle,” mom Lauren Scaletta wrote in an update on Wednesday. “She has proven to be the strongest one of us during all her trials the past two weeks. She is going to do amazing things and this will be a bump in her road that made her tougher.”

Aubrey will undergo about 10 to 15 surgeries in the next few months, according to her family’s GoFundMe page. She was taken off a ventilator a week after her accident and as of Wednesday, has started trying to eat small bites of solid food.

The 6-year-old is also expected to undergo surgery on her legs for skin grafts.

As for her feet, the VSPA told local NBC affiliate WSLS that they “seem to be receiving good blood flow after being reattached.”

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Though the Scaletta family is looking at “a very long, winding road” to recovery, the little girl "has already gotten a fan club here at the hospital with her dancing and smiles,” Lauren wrote on May 22.

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More than $57,000 has been raised as of Thursday to help pay for the medical expenses incurred by the Scalettas following their daughter’s accident.

Additionally, the VSPA has started an emergency relief fund to support Aubrey and her family.

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Lauren and her husband Daniel are thankful for the "outpouring of love and support" their family has received, saying it's "proven to be a great medicine."

"Aubrey is one tough cookie and we are following her lead as best we can," she wrote on the fundraising page. "My princess monster is such a warrior."

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