A 7-year-old who endured a car accident in Washington state emerged from the wreckage to signal a passerby for assistance, according to officials.
On Sunday, Oct. 6, officials in Kelso reported that a vehicle went off the road, landing 50 feet away just before 11 a.m. local time. Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue reported that the vehicle plunged 15 feet down an embankment, leaving “scattered rocks across the road of travel,” and noted that “heavy extrication” was necessary to rescue all passengers from the wreckage.
As reported by the Fire and Rescue team, a car involved in the crash contained three children, aged 2, 7, and 9, along with one adult male at the time of the incident. A man was discovered deceased at the location.
Following the accident, the 7-year-old managed to leave the vehicle and ascend the embankment, subsequently signaling to a driver who was passing by.
Emergency services were alerted by the driver, prompting a swift response from firefighters in Cowlitz, the Longview Fire Department, and Cowlitz County District 6 in Castle Rock, Washington, alongside officials from the Washington State Patrol. According to the press release, crews employed hydraulic extrication tools to free two passengers from the vehicle.
A 9-year-old was airlifted to a hospital in Portland, Oregon, due to several injuries sustained in a car rollover incident. Two young children, aged 7 and 2, were transported to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
Fire officials expressed uncertainty regarding the cause of the accident, noting that the Washington State Patrol would be assuming responsibility for the investigation.