Girl, 9, Survives Crash and Walks Through Rough Terrain to Get Help
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(ACTON, Calif.) — A 9-year-old girl trekked through rough terrain and climbed a cliff seeking help for her father after the car he was driving crashed on Sierra Highway and tumbled down a canyon early Sunday morning, ABC affiliate KABC reports.
The girl’s father did not survive. According to officials, he lost control of his SUV, which tumbled 200 feet down a canyon into the bottom of a ravine. After the crash, the girl reportedly walked in almost pitch-black surroundings along rough terrain to seek help. A California Highway Patrol sergeant said the girl walked to a home with a light on about 1,000 feet away but no one answered the door, so she returned to the scene of the accident to check on her unconscious father, KABC says.
Officials said the girl then climbed a steep cliff to Sierra Highway and walked to a Metrolink station about a mile away. At about 2:30 a.m., according to KABC, someone stopped along the road after seeing the girl and alerted authorities.
The child was flown to Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles, where she was reported to be in good condition with just some minor bruises and a cut to her cheek. A CHP sergeant said it’s believed that alcohol played a factor in the crash, but that has not been confirmed, according to KABC.
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