The 14-year-old has returned to school after she was critically injured during a haunted hayride accident in October
A Rhode Island girl has returned to school nearly three weeks after she was critically injured during a Halloween-themed hayride accident in October.
Giada Lanzieri, 14, was working as an actor on a haunted hayride at Seven Cedars Farm in Smithfield when she became trapped underneath the moving trailer, according to NBC affiliate WJAR-TV and CBS affiliate WPRI-TV.
The teen sustained several broken bones and internal injuries as a result of the incident, WJAR-TV reported. She was hospitalized in critical condition at the time.
On Friday — just ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday the following week — Lanzieri went back to school for the first time since the incident. Students and faculty at Smithfield High School threw a special celebration to mark the occasion, the outlets reported.
“She’s very excited to be back,” school counselor Kristen Luongo told both outlets, adding, “This was quite the motivation for her to come back to school, to see her friends and teachers, and get back to some sort of normalcy.
Lanzieri remains in a wheelchair as she recovers from her various injuries, according to WJAR-TV. However, Luongo said the teen is “very, very happy” to be back at school, which made special accommodations for her before her return.
In a statement issued to both outlets, the Lanzieri family thanked the small town for “all the love, support, prayers and generosity” they have received following their daughter’s accident. They also thanked those who have helped welcome her back to normal life.
“This welcoming back is an overwhelming gift to our girl,” the family said, per WPRI-TV.
The Haunted Hayride at Seven Cedars Farm was shut down for the season following the incident, according to an announcement on the farm’s website and Facebook page.
Lanzieri’s family has hired a lawyer in wake of the incident, according to ABC affiliate WLNE.