Your little girl is having fun at a playground when she spies a group of kids picking on her little sister. Doing what any big sister would do, she intervenes, only to discover she has walked into the middle of a hornet's nest that results in her being shoved to the ground and stomped so severely that her hip is shattered and she requires surgery and weeks of physical therapy. Upsetting? Sure, but now add to that the fact that one of the perpetrator’s attorneys is moving to have the charges dropped against his client because he wants her to be able move on in her life with a "real appreciation" for what she did. Oh, and did I mention that the alleged perps are aged 10 and 11?
The attack in question occurred on April 3, at the Pfeiffer Burleigh playground in Erie, Pennsylvania. The victim, 10-year-old Rikki Triana (photo here ), was playing when she saw a group of girls throwing water on her 8-year-old sister. When Rikki yelled at the girls to stop, two of them allegedly turned their aggression toward her, pulling her off a jungle gym and shoving her to the ground.
"They started stomping on my head and legs," Rikki told the Erie Times-News . "I couldn't do anything."
The alleged brutal assault continued until two adults ran to Rikki's aide and broke up the attack. Moments later, Rikki's mother, Lisa Triana, arrived on the scene and ran to her daughter's aid. Rikki's hip was shattered during the attack, and the pain she suffered from her injuries caused her to go into shock. Looking up at her mother through her tear-filled eyes, she uttered these three words: "Mommy, I'm hurt."
Rikki was rushed to Hamot Medical Center in Erie, where she underwent surgery, which resulted in three pins being inserted into her hip. It remains unclear whether the pins will suffice or she will require hip replacement surgery.
"I know it's still painful. I see it. She still has spasms and stuff where she screams and cries in pain, but I'm hoping that will pass real soon," Lisa told WICU12.com . "I don't know how long it'll take, but we're here for the long haul."
On Wednesday, Rikki was transported to Erie Shriners Hospital for Children, where she will remain while she completes intensive physical and occupational therapy. A psychologist is also helping her to deal mentally with the attack.
