SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — June 4 is not just any other day for Debbie Machowski. It's now an annual reminder of when she almost lost her youngest daughter.
"Dede could've become a statistic," she said.
The girls were out in Old Town Scottsdale with their mom to celebrate Debbie's oldest daughter's birthday when all their lives would change forever.
Police said a driver identified as 52-year-old Allami Hussain crashed into the patio at DJ's Bar and Grill injuring Dede and her friend.
Employees chased after Hussain as he tried to run away from the scene on foot. As he was being arrested, first responders rushed in and relieved Debbie as she held her hand on Dede's leg injury to keep her from passing away in her arms.
"I rushed into DJs to find my daughter under the vehicle in the fetal position," Debbie explained. "I believed she was bleeding out. There was a pool of blood underneath her legs. I put my hand on it to make a tourniquet and I did not let go until the paramedics were here."
While it's surreal for Debbie to go near the scene where her daughter almost took her last breath, she feels the love and support from the Scottsdale community.
It's an area her daughter has worked in and been a part of for years prior to this life-altering accident.
"She's been through 15 surgeries already. She did 14 in the 43 days that she was in the hospital from June 4 to July 17. She will need to have on expanders put into her right leg so that they are skin can grow and she can get a new skin and then the plastic surgeon will use that good skin to remove her scar and put her leg cosmetically back together."
The family started a GoFundMe account after the crash last year but the hospital bills and surgery costs are increasing as Dede continues to heal.
Now the family is planning to host a fundraiser at Kelly's in Old Town on June 11, the day before Dede's 24th birthday.
"Right now, some of the bills are totaling more than $3.5 million and they're only going to get higher and for being 23 years old. I think that's just a horrific burden to carry and any help that anybody could give her would be greatly appreciated," Debbie said.
We reached out to Scottsdale PD regarding the arrest of now 53-year-old Allami Hussain he's been charged with aggravated assault, although police said impairment was not a factor.
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