An 8-year-old Girl Scout helped rescue her friends after a fatal car crash on August 29 in Pike County, Indiana.
The incident happened when Amelia Freeland was riding home from a visit to Holiday World in a car with Amanda Wertman and four other children, two of whom were Wertman’s young daughter and son, WDBJ reported Saturday.
Their vehicle was involved in a head-on collision with another driver who was fleeing police on State Road 64.
Freeland’s mother, Tasha Cox, told reporters her daughter said the car flipped and the other vehicle went up in flames. However, “She unbuckled her seat belt and got out. Then she went and helped the other kids unbuckle their seat belts,” Cox noted.
A photo showed Freeland and her friend in the hospital after the harrowing ordeal, and they appeared to be recovering well:
Freeland was able to help five-year-old Theodore Wertman to safety before emergency crews arrived at the scene. Wertman and her daughter, eight-year-old Michaela, died in the crash. The other driver was also killed.
An image showed Wertman with her family:
The three children who survived, Amelia, Theodore, and Oaklie Disney, were hospitalized but have since been released, 14 News reported Monday.
Cox said her daughter suffered compression fractures in her neck and the healing process would take time.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, a compression fracture is a type of broken bone that can result in a person’s vertebrae collapsing.
Video footage of the children who survived showed them sitting up, smiling, and playing.
Cox said Freeland has a bruise on her hip and pelvic area and felt some pain when she moves around.
“So she’s walking where it feels comfortable,” her mother explained.
Social media users praised Freeland’s actions, one person writing, “Wow! What a brave and smart young lady. My sympathies to the families of those who perished in this tragedy,” while another commenter said, “Gods little angel. A true blessing!”
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.