SALT LAKE CITY - A 7-year-old girl clings to life at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, after a 500-pound refrigerator fell on top of her.
"She wasn't moving at all," her father, Jonathen Suarez said.
Suarez said he had his back turned to his two girls while he was looking at ovens. Then suddenly he heard a noise, and saw the refrigerator on top of his daughter Lluvia.
"When I lifted it up, she wasn't moving. I think that's when I realized, she might be gone," Suarez said.
His daughter was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. The Suarez family says she has a crushed pelvis, and an injured lung, brain and spinal cord.
"I'd do anything to protect her," a tearful Suarez said of his daughter. "I would have stopped it if I could."
After six days in the hospital, the Suarez's say their daughter is showing signs of improvement, but it will likely be weeks before they know if she'll make it. Their attorney, Richard Patterson, specializes in brain trauma, but says this case is a rarity.
"I have been practicing law for 38 years," Patterson confirmed. "I have never seen an injury like this where someone survives or could survive."
The store owners of USA Appliances in Salt Lake City, didn't want to talk on camera, but were visibly shaken, and concerned for the Suarez family. Their corporate office issued this statement on the franchise owner's behalf.
"[They] wish to convey their deepest sympathy to the family during this extremely difficult time. They are unaware of anything like this happening since the store opened in 1988. Please respect their privacy as they also try to cope with this very trying situation. Thank you."
Patterson said there will be a time for legal action against the company, but for now, the Suarez family is simply focused on their daughter, and her chances of survival.
"Our God is a big god. He's capable of big things."
