Child Sustains Life-threatening Injuries in Sheldon Crash, State Police Say
By Gregory J. Lamoureux
County Courier
SHELDON: A 19-month-old, was transported to UVM Medical Center on Christmas afternoon after the vehicle he was in flipped over into a brook, submerging the occupants inside, according to a report from Vermont State Police.
The mother of the child, 22-year-old Meagan Staples of Burlington, was driving at the time of the crash. She and her front-seat passenger, Evan Whalon, 20, of Highgate, were both able to free themselves from the vehicle, and ultimately the cold water of the brook, however, the child was still restrained in the back seat of the vehicle.
A nearby neighbor to the crash was able to get to the child and cut him free from his safety seat and pull him from the icy water, at which point CPR was started.
According to police, Staples was operating a 2003 Subaru Legacy northbound on Cook Road in Sheldon when she lost control on a moderate hill, traveling off the roadway. The inertia carried the vehicle off the roadway, where it landed upside-down, next to the roadway, in a brook.
According to Trooper John Bruzzi of the Vermont State Police, the roadway was extremely icy at the time of the crash, caused by sleet and freezing rain. The crash was reported at about 4:43 pm.
Vermont State Police say they will give an update on the child’s condition when they know more information.
