A 7-year-old girl who survived a car crash in Washington state bravely emerged from the wreckage to flag down a passerby for assistance.
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In a press release issued on Sunday, Oct. 6, authorities in Kelso reported that a car veered off the road, crashing 50 feet below shortly before 11 a.m. local time. Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue noted that the vehicle plummeted 15 feet down an embankment, leaving “scattered rocks across the roadway.” They also indicated that “heavy extrication” was necessary to safely remove all passengers from the wreckage.
The Fire and Rescue team reported that three children, aged 2, 7, and 9, along with one adult male, were in the car during the crash. Tragically, the man was found deceased at the scene.
Not long after the crash, the 7-year-old girl managed to exit the car. She then ascended the embankment, where she signaled to a passing driver for help.
“I come around the corner, and I just see a little girl in the road screaming for help,” 50-year Kelso resident Danny Nye told local outlet Fox 12. “I looked over the hill and I could see a car that had flipped over several times.”
However, Kelso soon learned the situation was even more dire.
“I could see and hear other kids in the car.”
Nye dialed 911, prompting a swift response from firefighters in Cowlitz, the Longview Fire Department, and Cowlitz County District 6 in Castle Rock, Washington, along with officials from the Washington State Patrol. According to the press release, the crews utilized hydraulic extrication tools to safely remove two passengers from the vehicle.
First Responders Detail the Harrowing Rescue Following the Car Rollover
“I’ve been in this district 26 years, and I’ve never seen a wreck in that area to that complexity,” Ryan Fisher, a Firefighter/EMT with Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue told Fox 12. “I was stress-sweating at one point due to the complexity and the entrapment of that patient.”
“Any extraction, we have plan A, plan B, plan C. I think we were all the way to plan L by the time we got the subject out of the vehicle,” Chris Sweet, a Firefighter/Paramedic with Cowlitz 2 added.
The 9-year-old was airlifted to a hospital in nearby Portland, Oregon, due to multiple injuries sustained in a car rollover. Meanwhile, the 7-year-old and 2-year-old were transported to a local hospital, where they received treatment for minor injuries.
An update on their conditions was not available at this time.
Fire officials stated that they remain “unsure” of the accident’s cause. Meanwhile, they reported that the Washington State Patrol will take over the investigation.