Trending Topics

7-year-old climbs 15 feet up embankment to get help in fatal crash

A young child was able to flag down a driver to call 911 for the crash in Kelso

By Daniella Segura
Merced Sun-Star

KELSO, Wash. — A child climbed a hillside to get help after the car they were riding in rolled down an embankment, Washington rescuers say.

After the rollover crash in Kelso, the 7-year-old left the car, climbed up to the road and “flagged down a passing motorist, who called 911” shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct 6, Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue said in a news alert.

Multiple agencies, including the Longview Fire Department and Cowlitz County District 6, made their way to people trapped inside the car, rescuers said.

When rescuers arrived, they found the car “15 feet down an embankment and 50 feet off the road,” the agency said.

Fire crews rescued two people from the car using hydraulic tools, rescuers said.

The driver of the car was pronounced dead on scene, according to rescuers.

The 7-year-old and a 2-year-old were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, while one 9-year-old was flown to a hospital “for multiple injuries,” rescuers said.

Rescuers said they are unsure of what led to the crash, adding that Washington State Patrol will be investigating the incident.

Kelso is about a 50-mile drive northwest of Portland.

(c)2024 the Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.)
Visit the Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.) at www.mercedsunstar.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Trending
Since adding a fourth ambulance in September, the Anderson Fire Department has reduced response times, balanced workloads and improved coverage as EMS calls continue to dominate run volume
Share your priorities, challenges and outlook to help shape the future of EMS
A former Baltimore County paramedic is facing criminal charges after investigators say he contaminated colleagues’ food and fire department property, prompting a months-long investigation and his arrest without bond
Jaffrey-Rindge Memorial Ambulance had threatened to stop responding in Rindge if it didn’t receive $27,000 it said it was owed and secure a 2026 cost agreement