Lady, 27, and Toddler Die, 3 Others Rescued After SUV Crashes into Ohio Pond

A lady and a toddler have died after an SUV crashed right into a retention pond in Ohio.

On Thursday, June 5, police responded to experiences of “a automobile submerged” within the water by U.S. Route 40 and Park West Drive in West Jefferson, the West Jefferson Police Division (WJPD) stated in a information launch shared on Fb.

Authorities then “initiated a water rescue” to attempt to save these trapped contained in the automobile, per the WJPD.

Three adults and two kids had been contained in the automobile on the time of the crash, in keeping with a press launch obtained by PEOPLE from the Ohio State Freeway Patrol (OSHP).

The driving force, Chineda Valcin, 29, was in a position to escape the automobile, and one other grownup, Medgine Louis, 24, and a 5-year-old youngster had been rescued earlier than the automobile sank. Nevertheless, a 27-year-old lady, recognized as Kelita Alfred, and a 3-year-old youngster had been pulled from the automobile and despatched to a Columbus hospital, the place they had been later pronounced useless, the OSHP stated.

Per the OSHP, Valcin was driving a 2016 Jeep Cherokee when “she traveled off the appropriate facet of the roadway, putting a ditch and coming to relaxation in a retention pond” round 6:30 p.m. native time.

Footage launched by WSYX exhibits cops working throughout a area to rescue the people trapped within the automobile within the pond.

Screams might be heard within the background, whereas one individual shouted, “I would like one other life jacket!”

A number of hearth departments, together with A2B Towing and Restoration, additionally responded to the scene to assist with the rescue and help the people recovered, the WJPD stated.

The 2 surviving adults weren’t injured, whereas the 5-year-old youngster suffered non-life-threatening accidents and was transported to Nationwide Kids’s Hospital for care, in keeping with the OSHP.

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Brandon Smith, the WJPD’s Chief of Police stated, “At the moment was a robust reminder of what it means to serve and the true that means of teamwork.”

“From regulation enforcement to fireplace and rescue, towing restoration companies, and medical personnel, it was an all-hands-on-deck response united by a standard objective: saving lives,” he continued, highlighting how one of many cops concerned “is at present within the last weeks of area coaching.”

“Our ideas and heartfelt prayers stay with all these affected. Incidents like this affect us all deeply, and we stand collectively as a group,” added Smith.

An investigation into the reason for the crash stays ongoing. 

The WJPD didn’t instantly reply to PEOPLE’s request for touch upon Saturday, June 7.