'That's God all around': Crookston girl dragged city block by semi continues to recover

FARGO — "She takes it pretty rough at times. She is accepting parts of it," Rhonda Richard said.

Her daughter, 10-year-old Kaylee Acevedo, just wants to return home to her family and friends in Crookston, Minnesota.

"She's so used to living one way already, to have that taken away from her just like that," Richard said.

On Oct. 4, Kaylee was riding her bike on the sidewalk with her cousin in downtown Crookston. They were standing on the sidewalk at the Highway 2 turn onto Broadway, waiting for traffic to pass, when police say a semi hopped the curb. Kaylee got tangled in the back wheels and was dragged more than a city block until the semi driver realized the girl was trapped in the wheels.

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"I did not want to believe it; it seemed unreal," Richard said. She was 3 hours away at the time and drove right to Sanford Health in Fargo.
"Having to see her lay there, and not even 12 hours after the accident to have to get her leg amputated — within 24 hours, just a big change. To see her whole life changing," she said with tears in her eyes.

Aside from losing her right leg, Kaylee also suffered a broken left leg and pelvis. Her only head injury was a chipped tooth.

"That's angels. That's God all around," her mother said.

Richard says her daughter remembers most of the events and that has added to the wounds.

"We don't want her to feel like it's her fault, because she already has a little bit of guilt," Kaylee's mom said.

Her family wants to thank everyone for the prayers and support, like dozens of get well cards from her fifth grade classmates at Highland Elementary that she rereads everyday.

There was also a motorcycle ride two weeks ago that raised nearly $7,000 so Kaylee's mom can remain at her only child's bedside.

"We love you guys from the bottom of our hearts," Richard said. "We appreciate everything you have done for us, from the bottom of our hearts."

Kaylee is a young girl, taking it day by day, hoping to return home soon to just do "normal kid stuff again," see her dog, Bugsby, and say thank you.

"It will be different — just so different, but eventually we will learn what her new normal will be, and it will be so hard," Richard said.

It will be at least two to three weeks before Kaylee can leave the hospital, she said.

It's unclear if Kaylee will be able to return home then or need to go to a rehab center to learn to walk with her prosthetic leg.

The Minnesota State Patrol continues to investigate the incident, and no charges or tickets have been issued.