13 March 2024 , 11:57
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A 22-year-old British woman who is the ex-girlfriend of a Premier League football player tragically lost most of her right ear and cannot move her right arm after being mowed down by a car in St. Louis, Missouri, when she took cover from nearby gunfire.
Ellie Bentley, originally from Nottingham, England, moved to the US while dating football player Indiana Vassilev. She's been left fighting for her life after suffering horrific injuries on February 25 when she was dragged for three blocks under the tyres of a car that sped off after she ducked behind it to hide from gunshots.
Her lawyer Ben Tobin said the sound of gunshots terrified the recent college graduate, but the horror was just beginning. “Then ‘Boom’ that vehicle driver who floors it and ran her over — which then put her underneath the vehicle,” he told KMOX radio.
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Ellie Bentley was left fighting for her life (Ellie Bentley/Facebook)Ellie's injuries were so severe that she spent two weeks in intensive care and multiple surgeries. According to Ben, she suffered "multiple fractures on her left leg, she has no mobility on her left leg. He added: "The people at [the hospital] indicated that this is the worst fractured pelvis they have ever seen.”
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She's just the latest victim of violence in one of America’s deadliest cities as Missouri continues to be rocked by violence. St. Louis has a population of just 293,000, yet had a recorded 200 murders in 2022, a terrifying rate of 68 per 100,000 residents that year.
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She moved to be with her football player ex boyfriend (Getty Images)Only New Orleans recorded a higher murder rate in 2022. The St Louis murder rate is 13 times higher than the homicide rate for New York City and two and a half times higher than Chicago’s rate.
Despite only being three months into 2024, St. Louis has recorded 36 homicides already, police statistics show, and nearly all of the killings involve guns. A 2023 study found the Midwest city ranks 11th in the nation for pedestrian deaths, with nearly seven people out of 100,000 residents dying in 2021, according to shocking data from Miller and Hine Law.
Pedestrian fatalities, like violent crime, climbed exponentially after the pandemic. Ellie’s lawyer expressed gratitude to the staff at a nearby bar, who saved her life by giving her aid after she suffered these shocking injuries.
St Louis has become increasingly violent“She was laying on the road, screaming for help,” he said, adding: “The bartenders and staff at the Platypus performed some life-saving measures on her.”
Ellie had initially moved to be with her American boyfriend who transferred to St. Louis FC following a stint with Aston Villa in the UK. The pair later split and her road to recovery is set to be a long one. A GoFundMe has raised more than $21,000 (£16,000) to help pay her expensive medical bills.