Crime S.C. Mom and Young Children, 2 and 4, Are Hospitalized in Dog Attack While Helping Elderly Neighbor Bethany Hastings said she managed to rip the pit bull off her kids and held it down for 15 "terrifying" minutes while they waited for help to arrive By Tristan Balagtas Tristan Balagtas Digital News Writer, PEOPLE People Editorial Guidelines Published on May 13, 2022 04:09 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: GoFundMe A South Carolina mom and her two kids are on the road to recovery after their neighbor's pit bull allegedly attacked all three of them in April. According to WJCL-TV, Bethany Hastings and her two kids, 4-year-old daughter Lainey Bayles and her 2-year-old son, were reportedly escorting their elderly neighbor with dementia back to her home on the family golf cart, after they spotted her wandering on their Bonneau, S.C., property. When they returned the neighbor to her home, her pit bull allegedly lunged into the cart. Lainey told the outlet she remembered the dog initially went after her little brother. "First he got my brother, and then second he got me, and then third he got my mom," Lainey recalled. Hastings told the station she managed to rip the pit bull off her kids and held it down for 15 "terrifying" minutes while they waited for help to arrive. "I didn't have a choice," the mom of two told WJCL. "If I had let go, he would have gotten me or them again." Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. A GoFundMe campaign launched on behalf of the family to help cover medical bills offered more insight into the attack. "She (Hastings) somehow managed to find her phone and call 911 as there were no other neighbors home to help," the description read. "She was repeatedly bitten by the dog on her face and from fire ants all over her body until help arrived. During that time, she had to endure watching her children screaming for her while they bled." According to WJCL, Hastings and her son were released from the hospital that same night, but Lainey, who suffered the most severe injuries to her face, was admitted for four days. "They (doctors) hadn't quite seen anything like that before to that extent, with that much damage," Hastings said of her daughter's injuries. The outlet reports Lainey will be forced to undergo multiple facial surgeries over the course of the next year. Meanwhile, the pit bull was reportedly euthanized.