The difference between life and death for Brittany Taltos was a soft patch of dirt.
Taltos, a 23-year-old UF alumna featured on “Jersey Shore,” was sunbathing in her front yard Sunday afternoon when her friend reversed his pickup truck into the yard and partially ran over her head.
Taltos said she was asleep in front of her house, located on the 300 block of Northwest 14th Street, before the truck backed into her.
“I woke up with half a tire in my face,” she said.
The tire trapped Taltos by her hair, pinning her to the ground, while the pressure on her head caused her ears to bleed.
“I thought I was going to die,” she said.
When Taltos screamed for help, the driver moved his truck forward and helped her with the bleeding.
Taltos’ roommate, Diego Cabrera, 21, called 911. An ambulance rushed Taltos, who was still conscious, to Shands at UF for treatment, according to a Gainesville Fire Rescue news release.
At the hospital, doctors used an X-ray to scan her head and found no signs of brain or skull damage.
“They told me ‘You basically dodged a bullet,’” she said.
Doctors treated Taltos for minor injuries, which included bruises on her face, a cut on one side of her head and about 10 stitches on her left ear, she said. Taltos checked out from the hospital later that day.
GFR firefighters said there was “a noticeable depression in the lawn,” which may have been caused by the tire pushing Taltos’ head into the ground.
“It was very fortunate she was on softer ground where this occurred,” said GFR Lt. Tracey Higdon. “The injuries may have been much worse, if not fatal.”
Contact Chris Alcantara at calcantara@alligator.org.
