Creepy video shows the moment an Iowa mother was attacked in the street by three ferocious pit bulls, leaving her requiring a double amputation before a police officer ran up and shot them dead.
Brittany Skoland, 37, was visiting a friend near her home in Fort Dodge when the animals fled the house and burst into her home.
Her friend wasn't there, but the dogs were and the police were called after a neighbor 'screamed' in the street.
Bodycam footage shows an officer shouting at the dogs before shooting them repeatedly as the woman lies helpless in the empty street.
Skoland was airlifted to hospital, but both of her legs had to be amputated up to the knee after her condition worsened.
“Brittany has lost much more than we initially thought, she has undergone many surgeries and procedures in recent days,” her aunt Teresa Hanus wrote on a post gofundme appeal.
Nearly $30,000 has been raised for Iowa mother Brittany Skoland, 37, after the dog attack near her Fort Dodge home that cost her both legs
Police bodycam footage shows an officer shouting as he tries to chase the dogs away from their helpless victim lying alone in the empty street
Seconds later, multiple shots ring out as the dogs are killed by the officer while still attacking
“She didn't need surgery on her hands as we initially thought, but she will have facial reconstruction surgery, both her legs have been amputated up to her knees, she also has severe head trauma and much more.”
Neighbor Rosemary Possehn said the dogs had not caused any problems before the afternoon attack on Nov. 24.
“He would take care of them and they pretty much did what he said,” she said KCCI.
“I was sitting in my living room, and I was just sitting there, and all of a sudden I heard a bang, bang, bang, and I came to the door and I saw all the officers,” she added.
“I saw the lady lying on the ground and the dogs went towards her and the police shot them. And it took quite a bit of ammo to take them down.”
Kerri Johnson also lives near the scene at the intersection of South 16th Street and 8th Avenue South.
“I heard the gunshots, and when I came out I saw the police with their guns drawn.
Texas Two-year-old CJ Wright-Haywood was destroyed by a pit bull in Austin last month
'He told me to go in and I did, I went in too, but after a few moments my curiosity was aroused.
'I stepped into the driveway to take a look, I saw a black dog lying on the ground, deceased, which is super sad.
“I don't know what happened to the lady, but I know someone was pulled away in a stretcher.”
According to the American Veterinary Association, approximately 800,000 people in the U.S. are treated in the hospital for dog bites each year, and Pit Bulls are responsible for more attacks than any other dog.
They are also more likely to kill their victims; they account for 28 percent of deaths over a 20-year period studied by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Infection from powerful bacteria in the animals' mouths and catastrophic soft tissue damage are the usual causes of amputation in victims.
A 63-year-old Utah woman died last month, a week after she was mauled by her son's seven pit bulls in her Taylorsville backyard.
And just a day before the attack on Fort Dodge, a two-year-old boy was attacked on his doorstep by a pit bull as he left for daycare with his mother.
Mother Chante Wright-Haywood managed to snatch her child from the dog's jaws and run back to their Austin home before the animal attacked the front door, breaking the hinges as the rest of the family struggled to keep the door closed .
Police in Fort Dodge said they had received no previous complaints about the dogs attacking Skoland and that they were known to the victim.
Aunt Teresa Hanus wrote about the Gofundme appeal that Brittany “enjoys being outside, doing yard work and helping her mom decorate for the holidays.”
The dilapidated house at the intersection of South 16th Street and 8th Avenue South was empty except for the dogs when the attack occurred.
Police in Fort Dodge said they had received no previous complaints about the dogs attacking Skoland and that they were known to the victim.
Webster County Attorney Darren Driscoll said an investigation showed they were properly restrained and charges are unlikely.
“These dogs attacked the victim while she was in the dog owner's home, alone with the animals,” he added.
“Law enforcement officers responding to the scene shot and killed all three dogs involved in the attack.
“This is a shocking tragedy and we wish the victim the best of luck as she recovers from her injuries.”
The gofundme appeal has raised almost $30,000 after more than 600 donations.
“Those who know Brittany know that she enjoys being outdoors, doing yard work and helping her mom decorate for the holidays,” her aunt wrote.
'She also enjoys playing outside with her younger children.
'The doors will be widened for a wheelchair and there will be a ramp so she can get in and out of the house.
“The house will also need modifications to meet her needs inside.”