An Alabama woman who survived a horrific New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans has revealed how her mother’s quick thinking saved her life from miles away.
Alexis Scott-Windham, 23, was struck by a terrorist-driven pickup truck and later shot in the foot during the massacre on Bourbon Street. Bleeding and in pain, she survived thanks to her mother, Tryphena Scott-Windham, who guided her friends over the phone to create a makeshift tourniquet.
“They took my sock off my left foot,” Alexis told NBC News. “They tied it around my ankle to cut off the circulation.”
Tryphena, who was back home in Mobile, Alabama, said she learned about tourniquets from watching TV. “I just blurted it out in panic mode,” she explained. “Tie her other sock around her leg so she wouldn’t bleed so much.”
A stranger and his girlfriend then drove Alexis to the hospital, where she joined dozens of others injured in the attack.
The chaos began when Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. Army veteran from Texas who had pledged allegiance to ISIS, plowed a rented truck into a crowd of revelers, killing 14 people and injuring scores more. Jabbar acted alone, according to authorities.
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Alexis had traveled to New Orleans with friends to celebrate the New Year. What began as a night of fun turned into a nightmare when she saw the white truck barreling toward her.
“He was running over people like they were speed bumps,” she said. The truck clipped her right foot, sending her sprawling to the ground. Moments later, she heard gunfire.
“I knew something was wrong with my foot,” Alexis recalled. “I thought it was just a broken bone, but my feet were leaking blood.”
Amid the carnage, Alexis saw bodies around her, one lying face down and another with blood streaming from his face. “Jesus, Jesus. Please, just let me make it home,” she prayed.
Her friends called her mother, who instructed them to act quickly. Alexis said she feels grateful for the stranger who got her to the hospital.
“Lord, I’m just glad I made it,” she said.
Although Alexis has a bullet lodged in her leg and faces a lengthy recovery, her mother is thankful she survived.
“I nearly lost my daughter,” Tryphena said. “I feel very sad for the other families, but my daughter was spared.”
Initially denied a leave of absence by Amazon, where she works, Alexis said the company reversed course after public outcry. An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the company is supporting her recovery.
Now home with her one-year-old daughter, Skai, Alexis is focusing on healing. “I’m blessed,” she said.
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