ST. LOUIS — A woman is finally out of the ICU after being dragged by a car in the Grove on February 25. Her name is Ellie Bentley.
She is a native of Bingham, United Kingdom, and was caught in gunfire at the intersection of Manchester Road and South Taylor Avenue when police responded to a shooting at 3:00 a.m. that Sunday morning.
A typically quiet neighborhood, the Grove was struck by two dangers at the same time weeks ago.
Hiding behind a car to avoid getting shot, her shield is what hurt her so drastically.
The 22-year-old sheltered herself between two cars. She heard the one behind her running with its headlights on, but locked eyes with the driver in understanding that she was going to stay there until the gunfire stopped, her attorney Ben Tobin told 5 On Your Side.
"She started to get in-between (the cars) and started to make eye contact with the driver like 'hey, we're going to be in this together,'" said Tobin, who is a managing partner at Pratt & Tobin Personal Injury Lawyers. The firm focuses on plaintiffs' personal injury cases.
The shots stopped and Bentley thought she was OK. However, police said Dionte Taylor then drove forward, running over the top of Bentley.
Terrified, the woman had to hold on to Taylor's car to avoid the wheels again.
"She curled up into what I would call a fetal position," Tobin said. "Trying to protect her head and face and everything else."
The driver then kept going as Bentley held the bottom of the car before being ejected from underneath, Tobin said.
"She ended up being on her right side," Tobin explained. "So, her right arm is completely mangled. She has no use of it, multiple fractures."
Bentley was dragged underneath the car for several blocks, from the Terra at the Grove Apartments to the Platypus Bar, where employees quickly jumped into action.
"We were the first responders at that point," said Jonathan Booker, a bartender at Platypus Bar.
"We grabbed a bag of towels just right here by the bar," Booker said. "We fully expected to try to treat a gunshot wound. That's the first thing on our mind. Then, of course we realized it was a very, very different situation."
"They applied pressure to her arms and legs," Tobin added. "That really helped slow down the bleeding and ultimately saved her life."
Police say the Taylor sped away from the scene and was later arrested. He's now charged with leaving the scene of an accident and causing physical injury.
Additionally, a 25-year-old man was shot after he and a group of people mistakenly tried to enter the wrong car. That was the source of the gunfire that caused Bentley to take shelter.
According to the preliminary investigation, a 35-year-old man was sitting in his car in the 4500 block of Swan Avenue when a group of people mistakenly tried to enter his car believing it was their car. Police say the 35-year-old man fired shots out of his car and fled from the scene.
There is a GoFundMe page for Bentley to help with medical expenses since she's already had five major reconstructive surgeries.
Her attorney says her rehabilitation process will be extensive.