On a seemingly ordinary day, 38 year old Kyleen Waltman was walking to her mother’s house when three pit bulls suddenly attacked her. What happened next left her with devastating injuries and would change her life forever.
Kyleen was being mauled in a ditch when a local farmer happened to drive past on his tractor. Avery Presley, who had known Kyleen for about 25 years, saw the dogs attacking her and immediately stopped to help.
Presley grabbed his handgun and fired into the air, causing the dogs to run away. His quick action may have saved Kyleen’s life, but by the time he reached her, she had already suffered horrific injuries.
Kyleen was covered in bloody lacerations, and part of her tricep had been torn away. Her injuries were so severe that she could barely speak, and the damage to her face and body was so extensive that Presley could not even recognize the woman he had known for decades.
Police eventually identified her after finding her identification in her pocket. She was then airlifted to a hospital, where doctors faced the enormous task of trying to save her life.
The attack had caused catastrophic damage. Doctors were forced to amputate both of Kyleen’s arms, while part of her colon and a portion of her leg were later removed because of infection.
One doctor involved in her treatment reportedly described it as the worst dog attack he had ever seen. A local sheriff’s office lieutenant also called it one of the most gruesome animal attacks he had encountered.
At first, doctors believed they might be able to preserve enough tissue in Kyleen’s right arm for a prosthetic. However, the damage was ultimately too severe, and prosthetics were ruled out for both arms.
After waking from surgery, Kyleen did not initially understand what had happened. While lying in her hospital bed, she repeatedly asked her mother to hold her hand, unaware that both of her arms had been amputated.
The emotional impact was devastating for her family. Kyleen had recently learned that she was going to become a grandmother, making the loss even more painful because she would not be able to hold her grandchild in the way she had imagined.
Kyleen spent seven weeks in the hospital and underwent more than 10 surgeries. Even after leaving the hospital, she faced a long and difficult recovery, dealing with the physical, emotional and financial consequences of the attack.
A GoFundMe campaign was created to help with her medical expenses and eventually raised more than $360,000. A lawsuit was also filed against the county and the dogs’ owner, Justin Minor, who was arrested and faced multiple charges, including three counts related to owning dangerous animals.
The three dogs were later euthanized, while eight other dogs were removed from Minor’s possession and taken to a shelter.
If several dogs attack, experts recommend protecting your head and neck and curling into a defensive position if you are knocked down. Try to stay as still as possible and call for help if you can, since sudden movements or attempts to run may cause the dogs to continue chasing or attacking.
For Kyleen Waltman, a routine walk became a fight for survival. Without a passing farmer noticing what was happening and intervening, her story could have ended very differently.
