7-Year-Old Survives Fatal Crash, Then Climbs Out of Wrecked Car and Calls for Help: Authorities

Mar. 15, 2025

Car accident in Kelso, Washington.Photo:Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue

Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue

In apress releaseshared on Sunday, Oct. 6, authorities in Kelso said that a car crashed 50 feet off of a road shortly before 11 a.m. local time. Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue wrote that the car had fallen 15 feet down an embankment with “scattered rocks across the road of travel” and added that “heavy extrication” was required to get all of the passengers out of the wreck.

According to the Fire and Rescue team, three children — ages 2, 7 and 9 — and one adult man were in the car at the time of the crash. The man was found dead at the scene.

Shortly after the crash, the 7-year-old “exited the car and climbed the embankment” before flagging down a passing driver.

The driver called 911, and firefighters from Cowlitz, the Longview Fire Deptarment and Cowlitz County District 6 in Castle Rock, Wash. responded to the accident, along with officials from the Washington State Patrol. The crews used hydraulic extrication tools to cut two passengers out of the car, the press release stated.

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Fire officials added that they were still “unsure” of the cause of the accident, and that Washington State Patrol would be taking over the case.

Washington State Patrol did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for information.

source: people.com