Girl In Coma Following Dog Attack

INDIANAPOLIS -- A 2-year-old girl was seriously injured by a pit bull outside a home on Indianapolis' west side Friday afternoon, police said.

Police said the dog attacked Amaya Hess in the front yard of a home in the 1300 block of South Belmont Avenue at about 1:30 p.m. The girl and her mother were there to visit one of the mother's friends, police said.

Emergency responders initially said Hess lost an eye in the attack, but doctors were later able to reattach it. Both of Hess' eyes were seriously damaged.

The girl was taken to Riley Hospital for Children, where she was underwent surgery and was listed in serious condition, police said. She was in a medically induced coma on Friday night. Besides the eyes, other parts of her head were injured.

---

Video: Girl Loses Eye In Dog Attack

---

One of the girl's relatives told 6News that the child's skull had been cracked.

Police said that shortly before the attack, the mother's friend opened the home's front door to go inside. The dog exited the house as the door was opened, and the animal ran to the child and mauled her, police said.

"It grabbed the baby right here on the side of the face and was shaking it like a doll would do if a little kid gave it to it," said Sierra Goodman, who witnessed the attack.

Witnesses beat the dog with a piece of wood and a hammer before it released its grip, 6News reported.

Police said it appeared that the dog had escaped from a cage in the home. Another pit bull was in the cage when the attack happened, police said.

"It's not really the dog's fault," said Tom Whipps, Hess' great-uncle. "People have got to be responsible. It's just like a loaded gun in the house. You have to be responsible for that loaded gun. If that gun accidentally goes off and kills somebody, you're responsible for it."

Animal care and control officers confiscated the dog that attacked the child, police said. Authorities said they were seeking a warrant to seize the second dog.

The friend lives at the home, but the dogs belong to his uncle, police said. The owner was out of town.

The Marion County prosecutor's office will decide if any charges are warranted in the case. Animal control officials said they had been at the same home on previous occasions on dog-bite calls.