Washington: 8-Year-Old Girl Speaks After Pit Bull Attack requires more than 100 stitches

WASHINGTON -- Diamond White, the 8-year-old little girl attacked by a pit bull Thursday, has several wounds on her body and received more than a hundred stitches. Despite the injuries though she is making a full recovery at home.

Sunday, Craig Randleman, the man who saved her life, stopped by her home to deliver a card and check on how she is doing. Diamond’s brother, who witnessed the attack, helped her read the card.

“As an adult I can only be amazed at how tough and smart you are because that dog was absolutely vicious and violent,” read Diamond’s ten-year-old brother D’Allyn White.

Just days after being attacked by a pit bull, Diamond is happy to be on her feet and outside in the sun.

“I can finally get off the couch and get out of the bed,” Diamond explained.

Craig says he wanted to stop by and make sure she was doing ok. The attack sent them both to the hospital.

“I just wanted to tell her how brave she was,” Randleman said. “I just think it's remarkable she survived that dog.”

“If Craig wasn't there, I wouldn't have my daughter,” said Diamond’s mother Nakia Roberts.
“I was happy that he saved me and also, I was still scared,” Diamond said.

The day of the attack, Diamond and her brother D’Allyn were walking home from a friend’s house when the dog got out of the fence.

“The dog came out of nowhere,” D’Allyn explained. “We were trying to get home, it came out of nowhere, it was just scary.”

“I was really scared,” Diamond said.

“I don't know, she just went into defense mode and she was trying to protect herself,” Nakia said. “She even told her brother to run.”

Both Diamond and Craig were bit multiple times during the attack. The dog latched onto her head and if Craig had not been there, her mom says it would have killed her.

Eventually, Diamond was able to escape over a fence while Craig distracted the dog. However, the marks from the attack remain.

“She had over 100 stitches inside and out,” Nakia said.

The wounds cover her arms and back, but today she is not thinking about herself.

“She's doing great, she was really worried about how Craig was, like I said she wanted to bake him some cookies to say thank you,” Nakia said.

Diamond wants to thank Craig.

“I want to say thank you,’ Diamond said.

However, everyone still cannot believe how tough she was in that horrifying situation.
“You are an amazing girl, so tough, so smart,” Craig wrote.

“I consider her very brave and courageous, you name it I think she is,” Nakia said.

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SPOKANE, Wash. – The 8-year-old girl attacked by a pit bull Thursday, was released from the hospital Friday and is expected to make a full recovery.

Craig Randleman, a neighbor who ran to help her, was also taken to the hospital with multiple bites all over his body Thursday night. He has also been released from the hospital.

He says the attack was a horrifying scene and that they are both lucky they got away alive.

“We both saw that dog just eating that girl, it's terrible,” Craig said. “I just couldn't believe it, it was so terrible.”

Craig and another neighbor ran to help after they heard her screaming. He says he kicked the dog as hard as he could repeatedly trying to get if off the 8-year-old little girl. However, it still would not back down.

“It went right back at that little girl,” Craig said. “She was being tattered. It was so terrible.”

As he tried to save the girl, the dog started attacking him as well.

“I think I was leaned over looking at her when the dog leapt at my face and lacerated my face,” Craig explained. “I was shocked, I’d never had anything like that ever. I tried to punch at it with my right hand and eventually it got a hold of my right hand and clamped onto my left wrist.”

The dog bit Craig multiple times before he was able to escape over a neighbor’s fence.

“That dog was going to kill me if I hadn't gotten over that fence or if it had gotten in that fence,” Craig said. “It would have killed me. I would not have been able to fend that dog off.”

As the dog focused on Craig, the 8-year-old girl was able to get away as well. She was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

“The backs of her arms were really, really badly torn up,” Craig explained. “Really bad, I think she was trying so hard to, you know, I can’t believe she did it.”

The girl has since been released form the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

“That little girl fended that dog off and survived that dog for about 45 seconds or a minute, oh my god, what a brave little girl, she's so smart,” Craig said. “How did she do it?”

(KHQ - April 6, 2014)