A 12-year-old girl’s life was saved by her backpack after she was hit by a car on the first day of school.
Skylynn Banick was riding her scooter alongside her brother Riley on September 2 in Kaukauna, Wisconsin.
When they came across an intersection, Skylynn said she made eye contact with a driver and assumed she had been given the go-ahead to cross in front of the car.
Instead, the driver pulled out of the parking lot of a Kwik Trip gas station and struck her
Skylynn told WBAY News: ‘With the loud thud and the feeling of the car just coming at me, I immediately knew that I was run over.’
The driver didn’t noticed she’d hit the middle schooler and kept moving forward, dragging Skylynn more than 60 feet.
The middle-schooler’s life was saved by her backpack which had become wedged between the car’s tire and wheel well – allowing her to hang onto the fender.
Doctors told her family that the now-destroyed bag may have been the key to her survival since it kept her from being completely swept under the car.
Skylynn Banick, 12, was hit by a car on her way home from her first day of school in Kaukauna, Wisconsin
Skylynn and her brother Riley screamed for help from bystanders as she was dragged 60 feet beneath the car
Skylynn’s backpack was wedged behind the wheel well, saving her from being completely run over
As she was dragged, she and her brother screamed for help. Skylynn said she repeatedly kicked the bottom of the car hoping the driver would notice her.
Family members reported that onlookers quickly came to help her.
They called 911, stopped the driver, and even lifted the car off of Skylynn.
Kaukauna emergency responders arrived at the scene and say she was alert as she was taken to the hospital, per ABC 2.
She suffered cuts, bruising, and road burns to her shoulders and feet.
Her father, Matthew Banick was at work when his wife Alexandria texted him about Skylynn’s accident.
He said: ‘I was super, super angry. Then I walked in the room and I started crying.’
After a short stay in the hospital, Skylynn was released to recover at home
Skylynn suffered cuts, bruising, and road rash to her shoulders and feet
Her family posted a GoFundMe to help may for her hospital bills, doctor’s visits, and physical therapy.
In the post, family members describe Skylynn as a ‘bright, kind-hearted girl who always worries about others before herself.’
After a brief stay in the hospital, Skylynn was released on September 3. Her family says she still has a long road to recovery ahead of her.
They wrote in an update on their GoFundMe page: ‘She has had a lot of nightmares and trouble sleeping but we’re taking it day by day.’
Still, Skylynn is grateful.
She said: ‘I want to say thank you so much to all of those people who helped me and saved my life.’
Daily Mail reached out to the Kaukauna Police Department and the Banick family for comment.
