Victim of hit-and-run in The Grove speaks out on recovery process
ST. LOUIS – For the first time, a woman who was run over and nearly killed earlier this year after a shooting in The Grove is speaking out.
“I’m learning to adjust to potentially, you know, the fact that I could very well be handicapped for the rest of my life at 22 when this happened; it’s a lot,” Ellie Bentley said.
Bentley’s story of perseverance is inspiring, but how she got to this point is one of nightmares. It began with a shooting in The Grove on Feb. 25.
“I ended up standing between these two cars and ducked down slightly so that the shooter didn’t see me again, and when the shooter finished, I saw the shooter flee the scene,” she said.
The next moment, everything changed as the driver of one of the cars she ducked between suddenly slammed into Bentley, shattering her femur in six places.
“I traveled for probably three blocks underneath the vehicle. We were going faster and faster and we probably easily hit 100 miles per hour,” Bentley said. “I fell out by chance, by luck. I fell out underneath the car when he took a wide turn and I proceeded to bleed in the street and I called for help.”
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Employees from Platypus found Bentley in the middle of the intersection. They immediately began putting pressure on her wounds, doing anything they could to save her life.
“I encouraged them to lay on me to try to put pressure on me. I remember the whole thing. It wasn’t a pleasant experience. I did nearly bleed out. I very much felt that,” Bentley said.
Her list of injuries and broken bones is extensive. Bentley’s future also includes criminal and civil cases against the driver of the car.
“Obviously we have a cause of action against the at-fault party or one of them, and we’re also looking into other pools, I call them, of money that we could potentially go after or other entities or people involved in this whole incident,” Ben Tobin, Ellie’s attorney, stated.
Bentley said she’s grateful to be alive and celebrate a recent birthday. She is also learning to walk again. She moved to St. Louis about a year ago and hopes sharing her story will help the community she now calls home.
“I think the crime in St. Louis perhaps needs to be addressed. Especially gun crime and dangerous driving,” she said. “I feel like, you know, to crack down on some of that would hopefully help the next person.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to aid Bentley’s recovery journey. To donate, click here.
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