Teen model who lost hand gets 'beautiful surprise' from Surprise Squad 2 months after ATV accident

Jessica Willey Image
Saturday, June 24, 2023
Teen model who lost her hand gets big surprise following ABC13 report
Esmerelda Tristan, 16, speaks to ABC13 following recovering from an ATV crash that caused her to undergo right hand amputation.

TOMBALL, Texas (KTRK) -- On Friday, a teen model who lost her hand in an ATV accident on April 15 was all smiles.

When Esmeralda Tristan, 16, opened the door at a beauty salon in Tomball, she was pleasantly surprised.

SEE ORIGINAL STORY: 'I got this': 16-year-old pageant winner who lost hand in ATV crash shares her story only on 13

Her right hand was amputated after a crash that killed her friend at a park in Crosby. Esmerelda and her friends were riding an ATV at Xtreme Off-Road Park. As they were leaving, another ATV came up from behind and hit them, causing their ATV to roll, and the 16-year-old and her friends were ejected.

The teen, who had recently won her first pageant, fought through the lows to realize there were still many highs ahead.

"In the moment, it really hit me hard. It was like, 'No, you can't do that now,'" Tristan explained to ABC13 in May. "Then it was like me against the world. Everything is going to be fine."

Just weeks after the surgery, Tristan did a new photoshoot and found a new voice to inspire other girls.

After seeing the ABC13 story, Comcast/Xfinity's "Surprise Squad," which is always on the hunt for outreach opportunities in the areas that they serve, swung into action.

The squad gifted Esmerelda a beauty experience and topped it off with tickets to see Beyoncé in concert.

Esmerelda described it as a "beautiful surprise."

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