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4-Year-Old Plano Girl Severely Injured In 4-Wheeler Accident

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PLANO (CBS 11) — A spring break getaway turns disastrous for a 4-year-old Plano girl.

Rylie Haecker remains in intensive care in Temple after undergoing major surgery, according to her family.

The young girl was on a spring break trip with her family at a ranch near Lampasas when the family went for a ride on their four-wheelers.

According to family, Rylie was riding with her father and were stopped when Rylie reached for the throttle.

"Just being 4 years old she reached up and grabbed the throttle as hard as she could and it spun the four-wheeler back," said her aunt, Amanda Gruenthal.

Rylie's father was thrown off as the four-wheeler tumbled on top of Rylie.

She was bleeding. Her liver had been severed and a hole had been punctured through her stomach and intestines.

Her father, who has been trained to deal with crisis as a Dallas police officer, put his daughter on another ATV and rushed to the nearest hospital.

Rylie was then taken by helicopter to a hospital in Temple where she underwent emergency surgery.

Gruenthal said Rylie's parents are always so safety conscious when it comes to riding four-wheelers.

"You feel like you try and protect your kids all the time but you just never know," she said.

Friends of the family have set up a GoFundMe account to help with medical and travel expenses.

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