The teen and mother who were hit by a crash-landing U.S. Navy paratrooper during San Francisco Fleet Week broke their silence about their injuries.
Millicent “Mia” DeGuzman, 17, and her family were attending the air show on October 13 and were sitting on the Marina Green when the horrific accident occurred.
“This was my first air show and I had no idea I was in danger,” Mia said in a statement. ‘Now I can’t move without their help and the doctors say I may never be able to do what I once could again.’
Several videos, including one from Mia, show a paratrooper missing the landing zone and veering toward the crowd. Incredibly, Mia continued to record and only turned around when the man collided with her and her mother, Jhoanna.
Mia suffered two fractures to her pelvis, while her mother was diagnosed with a concussion and bruising to her upper arm, according to the personal injury law firm the family retained.
Millicent “Mia” DeGuzman, center, takes a selfie with her family
Pictured: the giant screws that had to be surgically implanted in Mia’s pelvis to hold it together
After the incident, doctors operated on Mia, surgically placing large screws in her body to hold her pelvis together.
Mia also revealed that she and her family had just immigrated to the United States two days before the show.
“In addition to the physical pain, the emotional trauma is overwhelming: what should have been a joyful start to a new life here has turned into a nightmare that I relive every day,” she said.
Tanya Gomerman, the teen’s attorney, said her family is facing “a mountain of medical bills.”
“There’s no question that this is not what this paratrooper or the Navy wanted to happen, but unfortunately a young woman was injured,” Gomerman said.
She continued: “She faces a long, difficult recovery and cannot perform even the most basic tasks without the support of her family. It is a tragic incident that raises questions about safety protocols and responsibility at events with such high-risk displays.”
It is not clear whether the family plans to file a lawsuit.
A clip from Mia’s video of the incident shows the paratrooper heading for disaster outside the target. A father appears to be running to the side while carrying his child
This is about three seconds before Mia and her mother were hit by the paratrooper
Another vantage point shows the parachutist about to land in the crowd
During the event, the first person from the Navy’s Leap Frogs parachute team made a graceful landing on the grass, with a crowd on either side of the landing zone.
People could be heard shouting ‘ohhhh’ and ‘oh no’ as the second skydiver floated down before making the accidental landing.
The parachute blunder occurred at around 12.35pm on Sunday during the Armed Forces event.
“Our thoughts are with the individual and his family,” the Navy said in a statement about the incident.
‘Safety is our first priority. We cannot immediately judge what happened; however, we will investigate this incident to determine the cause.”
According to the US Navy, the paratrooper suffered no injuries.
San Francisco Fleet Week is an annual celebration of the nation’s armed forces.
Members organize air shows, flying demonstrations and ship tours, among other attractions for locals and tourists to enjoy.
Fleet Week is the grand finale of the summer event, which concluded this year on October 14.