[At 3:13 a.m. on the first day of the new year, Alexis Scott-Windham was laughing with friends on Bourbon Street, holding a New Orleans signature cocktail, and having a blast.
Just minutes later, the whole night would change. A man from Texas drove a 6,000-pound pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street, firing a weapon and running into Alexis and her friend Brandon Whitsett.
As Alexis’ group debated where to get a late-night snack, the truck came barreling towards them. “As we look to our left, we see the truck come down the sidewalk because he was halfway on the sidewalk and halfway on the street,” Alexis recalled. “He was hitting people like speed bumps, like we were nothing.”
The FBI confirmed 14 people were killed and dozens injured in the terror attack. Alexis and her friends tried to get away, but the driver continued to run over people, including her friend Brandon. “When I saw the bodies in the street, I just fell to the ground,” she said.
Alexis was hit by the front of the truck, breaking her ankle, and was unable to walk on her own. She was helped by a friend and carried to a side street, where she realized she had been shot. “I’m trying to get up, I’m trying to get out of there. I made it this far, I’m trying to survive and make it home,” she said.
As she was being helped to the hospital, she was in extreme pain and shivering, barely able to move. A good Samaritan took her to the hospital, where she was treated for her injuries.
Her friend Brandon was also hospitalized, with severe injuries to his legs, shoulders, and back. Alexis spoke to him by phone, saying he was struggling to talk due to the pain. Despite the tragedy, Alexis said she feels stronger now, and she doesn’t want to live in fear. Instead, she wants people to be alert and aware of their surroundings, and not let the tragedy change their lives.
Alexis also wants to show her one-year-old daughter that she was strong and made it through the situation. “When my daughter grows, she’s going to have to see it and she’s going to have to see her mama was strong and made it through the situation,” she said.
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