Victoria Wilcher suffered a gruesome pit bull attack that left the 3-year-old girl near death, but this week a restaurant in Jackson, Mississippi, added insult to injury when they asked the toddler’s family to leave because of her scars.
The girl was paralyzed on the right side of her face after the attack, and has had to undergo a number of surgeries, her grandmother Kelly Mullins noted. The attack has left little Victoria afraid to even go out in public, Mullins added.
“When we go to a store, she doesn’t even want to get out (of the car),” Mullins told WAPT. “She’s 3 years old and she’s embarrassed about what she looks like. She’s embarrassed and I hate it because she shouldn’t be. It ain’t her fault.”
Those fears were realized this week when the family tried to go to a KFC in Jackson for a meal.
“I took her to the doctor and I went to KFC. I ordered a large sweet tea and her some mashed potatoes and gravy because she was hungry. She was on a feeding tube at the time, but I figured she could just swallow (the potatoes),” Mullins said. “They just told us, they said, ‘We have to ask you to leave because her face is disrupting our customers.’ (Victoria) understood exactly what they said.”
The toddler cried all the way home, Mullins said.
Victoria’s family didn’t want to just let the incident go, and shared a picture of the girl on the Facebook page Victoria’s Victories, which followers her recovery.
“Does this face look scary to you?” the caption read next to a picture of a happy Victoria, wearing an eye patch with a cartoon picture of a smiling girl.
The story soon attracted nationwide attention, garnering thousands of user votes on the link-sharing site Reddit.
KFC even responded, with spokesman Rick Maynard apologizing for the incident:
“KFC launched an investigation as soon as we were made aware of this report. We take this very seriously, as we have zero tolerance for any kind of hurtful or disrespectful actions toward our guests. Our investigation is ongoing, but we have been in touch with the family and are committed to doing something appropriate for this beautiful little girl and her family. We will also work with the franchisee to take appropriate action at the restaurant once the specifics of the incident are determined.”
Despite the slight from KFC, Victoria Wilcher has been doing well in her recovery, her grandmother said, saying that the little girl “is a real fighter.”