Model Lauren Scruggs Walks into Plane Propeller, Loses Hand and Half Her Face

Until last Saturday, 23-year-old Lauren Scruggs was a young woman like any other. She had a promising career ahead and was happy to face new challenges. Today, she's fighting for her life after walking straight into the spinning propeller of a plane.

She was hit with such a force that she lost her left hand on the spot, and was injured severely in the face and shoulder, as the ABC report embedded below will confirm.

Investigators don't know yet what happened and how exactly she came to walk into the propeller, but they are looking into the events of a few days ago, which took place on at a private airport.

One theory is that it was dark outside and the pilot (believed to be inexperienced and a family friend) forgot to shut down the plane's engine, which should have been the first thing on his or her list.

Lauren was looking up at the Christmas lights or had just turned to wave at the pilot – and she walked right into the propeller.

She reportedly lifted her left arm to protect her face, which is when her hand was severed off. She's already had extensive reconstructing surgery on her shoulder and face, various reports online indicate.

Lauren is now in recovery at Dallas' Parkland Hospital, with her parents, friends and relatives praying for the best.

She doesn't know yet that she's disfigured but, so say her parents, she's moving about in her bed and she's trying to communicate with them.

“We're just praying that, her left eye will regain its sight. It's just going to be a long journey, a long recovery,” says her dad.

Scruggs was a fashion blogger and a model. She also worked on the wardrobe department of hit television series “Gossip Girl.” Her parents are saying she hadn't been drinking at the time of the terrible accident.