WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — A crossing guard in West Valley City is getting some recognition from a local family who says she stepped in to save their daughter from a pit bull attack.
Ruta Pataialii is known to kids as the person who wears a safety vest and gets them safely to and from school. But for the Fuette family, she's a hero.
Last week, the Fuettes said 11-year-old Alexis was walking to school when a fenced in pit bull jumped onto the fence and bit her arm.
"It was scary, and at the same time, I was shocked," Alexis remembered.
After hearing the attack, Pataialii stepped in to help.
"I ran over and took my sign and hit the dog's head," she said.
Following a brief struggle, Pataialii was able to pry the dog away from the little girl, who suffered only minor injuries.
"There were so many what-ifs that could have happened," said Alexis' mother, Tawnya. "What if it got her face? Her life would've never been the same."
For Pataialii, the decision to step in wasn't hard.
"If that was my granddaughter, I would have done the same thing," she explained. "When your kids come out, we're their parents, and when they come home, they're yours."
Before moving to Utah, Pataialii lived in American Samoa and then California. She moved to Utah to work as a seamstress and remembers the Fuette family having been supportive of her for several years.
"In the cold winter, [Alexis' dad] always buys us hot cocoa from the Maverik," said Pataialii.
Now, more familiar with each other than ever, the Fuette family says they are grateful that Pataialii was there.
"It could've been way worse," said Tawnya, "I'm so grateful she was there."
Proving that heroes don't just wear capes, they wear safety vests too.
