7-year-old girl seriously injured when hit by truck now breathing on her own

SALT LAKE CITY — A seven-year-old St. George girl, Emery Burrow, was hit by a pickup truck on Sunday and suffered serious injuries. As of Tuesday, while she is not yet in the clear, she is breathing on her own.

Kate Story, Emery’s aunt, is at a Las Vegas hospital with Emery and her mom. Emery was flown by a medical helicopter on Sunday night after she was hit.

Her family says she and her brother were playing soccer in the front yard around dusk when the ball went into the road. They say Emery waited for one car to pass but didn’t see a truck coming the other way.

That driver, a neighbor who lives nearby didn’t see Emery either.

“It was one of those things where it’s like, ‘oh, it’s not really Emery’s fault. It’s not definitely not this guy’s fault,’” says Story. “It’s just a tragedy.”

Pictures on the family’s GoFundMe page show Emery in a hospital bed. The page was set up to help the family pay for the medical expenses. They also ask in their post for prayer for their neighbor who was driving the truck.

Emery suffered a cracked skull, brain bleed, and tibia fracture. Despite the intensely difficult injuries, Story says she’s making incredible progress.

“She’s doing remarkable for what her little body, the trauma that it has endured,” says Story. She says a chain and screws are holding Emery’s injured leg together and her brain bleed and swelling are going down.

The family credits the hospital staff and prayer.

“We’ve just received an outpouring of love and support [that] meant the world to us,” says Story. “And Emery is gonna get better and she’s gonna get through this.”

Story says Emery is a spitfire and a dancer. They say despite her small stature, she is full of energy and a great soccer player. Even though they know they have a long road ahead, they say they can feel the support from those around them.

“Everyone always says you take it a day at a time. And I’m like, no, no, no, you take it a moment at a time because that’s the world we live in,” Story said.

While they face the unknowns, they are grateful for those rallying around them.

“We can’t stop crying. It’s been so emotional. We’ve just been so blessed with the outpouring of love and, and Emery is very fierce,” Story said. “So if anybody can get through this, it’s her.”

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