Girl honored after brutal dog attack

SOUTH BEND, Ind. --A young girl was honored today by her school and local paramedics for her bravery as she fought to save her leg after a brutal dog attack.

11-year-old, Samantha Bush, has been what the paramedics on call called—the best and most calm pediatrics patient they have ever worked with.

She has stayed strong throughout the past few weeks as she us healing from hundreds of stitches, a surgery, and working hard to maintain her stellar grades and perfect attendance.

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These are the future careers currently speaking to 5th grader, Samantha Bush, “First I wanted to be a judge, and then I wanted to be the president and now I want to be a teacher.”

And now she has got another title to add in, “I’m a winner.”

Bush has certainly won the fight of her young life—after being brutally attacked by a dog.

Samantha remembers, “Me and my cousin were playing the floor is lava. Then they brought out the dog and I didn’t really know it and then the dog came and attacked me.”

Samantha’s dad, Bart Bush, even remembered, “When it happened the dog wouldn’t let her go and the guy who owned the dog actually had to pry the dogs mouth open to get it to let her go.”

Once Bush was free, she did not freak out but rather took control.

One of the responding captains, Jason Russel says, “Her ability to remain calm, her demeanor, it was quite shocking to me.”

Through tears and the pain of a bone deep, nerve tearing dog bite bush reacted more quickly than the adults present.

Burt Bush says, “They were all frantic and freaking out about it, they couldn’t find their phones but Samantha had her phone and she dialed 9-1-1 herself.”

Captain Frank DeLaTorre says, "We just learned today that she called 9-1-1 so that adds to the bravery and the whole traumatic stressful incident that she called 9-1-1 herself.”

Which then sent captains of the Southwestern Michigan Community Ambulance Service, Russel and DeLaTorre, her way who say Bush’s bravery and calm demeanor helped more than she could know.

Ruseel says that “usually you have to work very hard to calm a pediatric patient down that was not an element of this call at all.”

Then it was all about the healing which, Bush is still doing which could be seen as she crutched her way up to the stand today where Bush was surprised by the medics who saved her and was honored by her school and community with a bravery award and a perfect attendance award—which is certainly well deserved.

Russel says, “I’ve been doing this for about 20 years and she is probably the most calm pediatric patient I’ve ever had that suffered the injuries that she suffered.”

Bush is doing well and is already back to worrying about her schoolwork. Her dad says there is still some healing left to do and will see how things are going at the follow up this Wednesday.

And clearly Darden Elementary school has some wonderfully brave and caring students because Lucas Gosz, Laventa Henry, and James Hair received the Big Heart Award for raising more than $250 dollars in their fundraiser called “Quarters for Koalas” which is benefiting the Red Cross in Australia who is working to save the students favorite animal.

Contributions to this story also made by: Shannon Nolan