An 8-year-old Indiana girl is being hailed as a hero after her family says she helped other children escape from a horrific crash that killed three people.
Amelia Freeland was one of three children who survived the Aug. 29 wreck in Pike County, Indiana.
According to Indiana State Police, the crash happened when a man who was allegedly fleeing police during a domestic violence-related call slammed head-on into a vehicle driven by 41-year-old Amanda Wertman.
The man and Amanda were both killed at the scene.
Amanda’s 8-year-old daughter, Michaela Wertman, was critically injured and later died at the hospital.
Three other children survived the crash — Amelia, another 8-year-old girl named Oaklie, and Amanda’s 5-year-old son, Theodore Wertman.
The children had reportedly been returning home from a Girl Scouts trip when the devastating collision occurred.
Now Amelia’s family is revealing what the young girl did in the chaotic moments after the crash.
Her mother, Tasha Cox, told 14 News that Amelia remembered the vehicle flipping over and seeing the other car on fire.
“She told us that the car flipped over and that the other car was on fire,” Cox said. “And that she got unbuckled her seat belt and got out and then she went and helped the other kids unbuckle their seat belts.”
According to her mother, Amelia managed to get herself and Theodore out of the vehicle.
Her actions have led family members to call the 8-year-old a hero.
All three surviving children are now recovering from their injuries.
Amelia suffered a compressed neck fracture and is expected to need approximately four to six weeks to fully heal, her mother said.
Oaklie suffered two brain bleeds and continues to make progress, although her recovery has been slow, according to an update shared by her loved ones.
Theodore has since been released from the hospital and returned home.
He is continuing to recover physically while also grieving the deaths of his mother and sister.
Fundraisers have been created for the surviving children and their families as they deal with medical expenses, recovery and the devastating loss caused by the crash.
The tragedy left Amanda and Michaela Wertman’s loved ones mourning, but Amelia’s family says the 8-year-old’s quick thinking in the terrifying aftermath helped make sure more lives were not lost.
