MARKED TREE, Ark. — A 5-year-old girl from Marked Tree, Arkansas is fighting for her life after her parents say a television and dresser fell on her, breaking several bones.
Just a few weeks ago, Adryanna Nicole was all smiles and full of life. But the weekend before Thanksgiving became her parents worst nightmare.
Adryanna’s father, James Stone, says she was playing with children and preparing to watch a movie before the unthinkable happened.
“She pulled the drawer out and was trying to climb up there and turn on the DVD player, and it just toppled over.”
An older model TV and dresser fell on her. She was unresponsive, bleeding excessively and had fractured bones in her face.
“Mom ran outside yelling, ‘Please call someone call 911. Please someone call 911,” Stone said.
He says doctors told them she most likely wasn’t going to make it through surgery. So they prepared to take her off life support.
He said doctors had to remove parts of her skull due to the swelling to her brain.
But a week later, her father said Adryanna seemed to be breathing on her own but there are still many questions about her condition.
Stone says he never thought an accident involving a TV would result to this. But Susan Helms, the Director for Injury and Safe Kids at Le Bonheur, says it’s more common that what you may think.
“Somebody goes to an emergency room across our nation every hour. And about every three weeks there’s a fatality because of this,” Helms said.
To keep your children safe, you can do these three things.
- Properly place your old TV.
- Secure your TV panel with an anti-tip strap that goes on the TV dresser and into the wall.
- Recycle your television to reduce any hazardous material.
Adryanna remains in critical condition. Her family plans to speak with another doctor Tuesday evening to see what will happen next.