Lani Use was 5 in 2019, and she was so excited to go outside under the Louisiana sun and take a ride in her family's old go-kart.
The adventurous little girl was having so much fun at the family party, despite the fact she was driving the gas-powered kart at such a slow pace that the adults keeping a close on her were able to walk right beside her.
Before Lani took her ride, her mom, Macie, made sure to pull Lani's hair back into a tight bun. But the strands of her bun came loose as the kart hit some bumps, and her blond hair got caught in the motor.
Within seconds, Lani and her family were screaming in horror — because as Lani fought to free herself from the grip of the gear belt, one side of her scalp ripped off, fracturing her skull in four different places.
"It was like a horror movie," Macie told SWNS. "The right side of her scalp was just hanging off. It was ripped from the front all the way to the nape of her neck. She was drifting in and out of consciousness and her eyes were rolling into the back of her head."
Lani's grandfather cut her hair with a knife, releasing her from the motor. Her grandmother stood at her side physically holding her scalp to her head.
After being rushed to the hospital, Lani required extensive care and emergency surgery that lasted five hours. Macie feared the worst — that her daughter wouldn't survive the terrible accident.
But as you're about to see, Lani has made the most miraculous recovery. Now Macie is sharing her story with a warning to parents everywhere.
