Woman attacked by dog reunites with first responders who saved her life

A dog attack survivor reunited with the first responders who helped save her life more than six months ago.

In July 2018, Lauren Musick was attacked by her pit bull outside her apartment in Palm Springs. The dog mauled her face, both arms, and a leg. The dog was tazed by police during the attack and eventually died.

“Being able to thank them personally means a lot to me and I’ve been looking forward to this for a very long time,” said Musick, before reuniting with the first responders.

It had been seven months since first responders and Musick last saw each other.

“We were there in maybe a minute and a half, two minutes,” said Brandon Wright, one of the first arriving paramedics, “initially walking in (to the apartment), there was so much blood on the floor. I could barley even stand without falling down. You had to make your way through the kitchen area, dining area, down the hallway and that’s where she (Musick) was laying in a pool of blood. Like I said, I had never seen that much blood before on a call.”

Wright says Musick never fell unconcious despite losing blood.

“I remember you guys calling Desert Regional and telling them that we’d be there in seven minutes and I told you guys we didn’t have that long,” Musick told Wright.

Musick had seven surgeries and was in the hospital for more than 60 days before being released. She is still undergoing physical therapy to gain full mobility in her arms and hands.

“For a while I was in danger of having my left arm amputated because I had tissue that was infected and they (doctors) weren’t sure if they’d be able to save the arm, but the healthcare team at Desert Regional have been amazing,” said Musick.

“Thank you for what you do daily because I’m sure I’m not the only person that you’ve been able to save their life, and things like this change your life, but I’ve definitely stayed positive through it and getting most of my life back and doing most of the things I love to do,” Musick told firefighters.

Musick says she keeps a positive attitude and thanks everyone in the community for helping her through her recovery. As for her dog, he was tazed by police during the attack and eventually died. Musick says the dog was her best friend and that he may have been going through physcological issues.