Lauren Scruggs, a model and LOLO magazine fashion blogger, is slowly recovering from a plane accident over the weekend in which she lost her hand and suffered severe injuries after she accidentally walked into a spinning propeller.
Scruggs, who has also worked in the wardrobe department on Gossip Girl, was exiting a two-seater plane in McKinney, Texas, on Saturday after flying around Dallas to see Christmas lights when the accident occurred. The blades sliced the left side of her face and shoulder, and severed her left hand, which was later amputated following multiple reconstructive surgeries.
Her parents, Jeff and Cheryl Scruggs, said on Tuesday's Good Morning America that their daughter made "positive progress" on Monday and was able to speak.
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"They took out her tube in the afternoon. She didn't speak right away," Jeff said. "I said, 'Lauren will you say 'hi' to Daddy?' And she goes, 'Hi.' Later she told one of Cheryl's sisters that she loves her. That was so encouraging to us. She's really uncomfortable as you can imagine."
The FAA is investigating the accident, but authorities are unsure at how it occurred. Jeff believes Scruggs, 23, went to thank the pilot when she got hit.
Cheryl was at the private airport at the time of the accident, but did not witness it. "I was inside, and someone came in and told me she had gotten hit," she said. "I was there until the care flight got there. I was just able to hold her and ... that's the toughest part of it all, just seeing her laying there and waiting for the help. All I could do was tell her that I love her."
Scruggs' left eye is still "questionable," according to her father, and the family is "praying she'll regain her sight." "It's going to be a long recovery," he said.
