ORANGE GROVE, Tx — The Orange Grove Police Chief has released new details on Monday night's crash that left a baby girl dead.
According to Chief Hector Valverde, on Monday, March 3, around 6:00 p.m. a 42-year-old Orange Grove woman was driving her 2013 Nissan Leaf southbound on Dibrell Street also known as F.M. 738 near Seim Avenue with her 19-month-old daughter in the back seat.
Police say the woman drove off the road, over-corrected to get back on the roadway, and accidentally crossed in to the northbound lane and hit a 202 Ford F-250 driven by a 78-year-old man from Yoakum. The impact sent the truck off the road, and then the female driver hit a 2013 Nissan Altima head-on. The Altima was driven by a 31-year-old Orange Grove woman, who is 26 weeks pregnant.
According to Chief Valverde, several people who witnessed the crash rushed to the Nissan Leaf and pulled the 19-month-old baby girl from her car seat. They administered CPR in hopes of reviving her but she had already passed away.
Moments later, Halo-Flight transported the girl's mother to Christus Spohn Shoreline, where she remains in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit.
The man driving the truck was taken to Christus Spohn in Alice where he was treated and released.
The expectant mother driving the Nissan Altima was taken to Bay Area Hospital in Corpus Christi where she was listed in stable condition on Tuesday.
Valverde said they don't know what led the 42-year-old woman to veer off the road and are interviewing several witnesses. His department is also looking into whether the baby girl's car seat was installed properly.
As a result of this tragic crash, Valverde is asking all parents of children under the age of 8 to make sure their child's car seat is secured safely.
He said if you need help installing a car seat or ensuring it's installed properly, contact Driscoll Children's Hospital's Injury Prevention Department at 361-694-6700 or send them an email at dch.ipp@dchstx.org.
