Girl Survives Dog Attack Thanks to a Hero
www.bristolnews.com
Erica Estep
December 14, 2004, BRISTOL, VIRGINIA--A Tri-Cities child is recovering at home tonight after escaping the jaws of a Pit Bull this weekend. The 4 year old girl was playing near a relative's home when the dog attacked. A neighbor risked his life to save hers.
Four year old Krysta Cross is in good spirits considering the terror she endured just 3 days ago. Her mother Karen Buck recalls, "When she woke up she says, mom the dog bit me. She said, he was crunching me."
Krysta was mauled by a Pit Bull Saturday near her grandfather's home. She doesn't remember much, but her 9 year old brother, Cory, does. Cory Cross remembers, "It's tail was wagging so we thought it was happy, but then it started doing the bull thing scratching it's feet back and forth and barking and jumping at Krysta."
4 Year old Krysta shows her bandaged head, "It bit me right here and here." Her parents show us pictures of Krista's most serious injury, a bite on the back of her head. She was also bitten on the hand, back, and near her eye.
Cory adds, "There was a whole lot of things going through my mind like if Krysta was going to live or not."Krysta recalls, "I tried to get a stick, but I couldn't because it was dragging me and a man saved me. He tried to hit that dog."
That man is William Perkins. He beat off the Pit Bull with a wrench. Perkins recalls, "I came around and busted him in the head." The dog's blood is left behind on the wrench, but Perkins says he wouldn't let up because he feared Krysta was fading fast.
Perkins adds, "She was doing a little crying; she was scared to death, had blood on her, her clothes were ripped off, had blood everywhere."
The dog is being held in the Sullivan County Animal Shelter where he's scheduled to be put to sleep next week.
This day was a happy reunion though for Krysta and her hero. William Perkins greets the little girl with a hug and kiss. He asks, "Are you feeling better? You are? I'm glad I got there in time for you honey."
Perkins said, "She looked like she was going to be dead if somebody didn't get to her. At that moment in time if I hadn't gotten to her she would have been because she was just lifeless." Now she's full of life and the best Christmas gift her parents say they could ask for.
Police don't expect to file charges against the dog's owner since the pit bull was chained and broke lose.
We spoke with the dog's owner, Jason Stanley, who has only had the dog for about 2 months. He says the Pit Bull had been around several kids without ever showing aggression, but even he believes after this attack his dog should be put down.
