3-Year-Old Ejected During Crash after She Took Off Her Seat Belt

On Thursday, October 13 at approximately 3:45 PM a white SUV was traveling westbound on I-94 in Jefferson County near Lake Mills. Witnesses tell State Patrol Officers that the vehicle passed them in the left lane going approximately 80 mph, hit rumble strips and over corrected causing the vehicle to go out of control and slide toward the ditch.

Upon leaving the roadway the SUV hit the ditch and rolled several times. The SUV came to rest on its side with three people inside. A young child, the fourth person in the vehicle, was ejected during the crash. 

The male driver and youngest child were belted at the time of crash. The ejected child was not belted along with a female passenger identified as the mother.

The belted occupants had possible injuries. The ejected child was taken by helicopter with unknown injuries but remained conscious the entire time. The mother also was conscious and alert and transported via ambulance with injuries to the face and legs.

The driver and father told police that while driving their 3-year-old child took off her seat belt. The girl's mother then removed her seat belt to attempt to re-belt the child.

The father said he turned to determine what was going on and when he did he hit the rumble strips and over reacted.