A Saturday night crash claimed the life of a five year old boy in Saline County and sent his father, mother and sister to the hospital where they remain in intensive care.
According to the preliminary Illinois State Police crash report, 35 year old Sarah Schell of New Burnside was driving south on US Route 45 when at 10:47pm, the vehicle left the road and struck a concrete culvert and overturned onto the passenger side. 41 year old David Schell, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was partially ejected from the vehicle and was transported by Air Evac to Deaconness Hospital in Evansville. Sarah Schell and the couple’s three year old daughter were both taken to a local hospital by Med Force Ambulance before being transferred to Evansville. The three year old was then forwarded onto Indianapolis. The couple’s five year old son was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Saline County Coroner. The accident shut down the highway at Alexander Road for approximately 3 ½ hours.
An Illinois State Police Crash Reconstruction Officer has been assigned to the case. District 19 troopers were assisted by the Saline County Sheriff’s Department, Saline County EMS, Eldorado Police Department, Eldorado Fire Department, Life Flight, and Jones Towing.
