A woman and her 5-year-old son were rescued Wednesday morning after their minivan veered off the road and rolled several times before landing in the Maunesha River, Wednesday morning, authorities said.
The car crashed about 10 feet below a bridge in the town of Bristol, Sun Prairie Fire Chief Christopher Garrison said. If an onlooker had not reported the crash emergency responders “never would have found them,” as the car rolled 100 feet off the road, Garrison said.
The back end of the car was submerged in about 3 feet of water, Garrison said. Sun Prairie emergency responders found the driver and child conscious but trapped as water began to enter the car.
Fire units rescued the son first, removing the van’s sun roof and cutting the child’s seat belt. They had to remove part of the car’s roof to get to the driver.
Both the child and driver were taken to a local hospital. According to Garrison, the driver sustained serious rib and pelvic injuries, but is stable. Garrison said the son was treated for minor injuries, but was for the most part, unharmed.
“I can’t image what would have happened if that child was not in a car seat,” Garrison said.
The Dane County Sheriff’s Office said the driver reported she was handing the child a cellphone, which caused her to veer off the roadway and crash.