FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) — The family of a 3-year-old girl who was saved from incoming Fourth of July fireworks shrapnel by a Good Samaritan's split-second decision hosted a benefit Sunday to help pay the woman's medical expenses.
A DJ's club beats pulsated throughout Kaos Ultra Lounge in Fort Lauderdale Sunday afternoon as Jennifer Bruner greeted Raul Orchilles, the father of little Audrey. Bruner said she had just recently begun walking again, nearly a month after she sustained serious leg injuries when she shielded Audrey from a rocket that landed right in front of the little girl at a home in Davie.
"The fireworks tipped over; it shot and went across a pool, a fence, a yard … and landed in front of my daughter," said Orchilles.
Audrey's father indicated the children at the family gathering were positioned as far away from the fireworks as possible, something that Bruner corroborated. "They were on the pier; there was a yard, there was a fence, as well as a pool [between us and the fireworks]," she said. "We were sitting all the way up at the house," she said.
Bruner said she had only met Audrey an hour prior to the accident and had no time to consider her options. "She's looking over her feet looking at the firework, and it's about to explode, like, right in her face," Bruner said.
Bruner said fireworks explodes almost immediately after they land on the ground, so she knew she needed to act fast. "You hear it, first it goes up, and then there's that pause, and then it explodes? That split-second pause before it was exploding is what I had to get her and I out of there," she said.
Audrey escaped with a minor burn, but doctors removed shrapnel from Bruner's leg. After spending six days in the hospital and enduring skin grafts and multiple surgeries, Bruner is once again able to walk.
Everybody seems to agree Audrey would not have survived a direct blow. "She would have died," said Orchilles. "No doubt in my mind."
Even Audrey seems to acknowledge how lucky she is. "I don't got holes in mine, just Jen got holes in her [leg]," she said.
Even though she does have insurance, the benefit will help defray Bruner's medical expenses. "It really just feels great to have my friends that, on a Sunday afternoon, are willing to come out and give me money to be here," she said. "I really feel blessed."
"She's a local hero, kind of an unsung local hero, and all of the proceeds are going to benefit Jen," said Orchilles.
As for Audrey, she has a message for her holiday helper: "Hi, Jen. Thanks for for rescuing me. I hope you get better soon or fast."
Bruner's friends have set up a website to take donations for her medical bills. If you would like more information, log on to www.helpjennifer.info.
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