[UPDATE 9:23 a.m.: 9-Month-Old Still Not Found] Infant Missing After Vehicle Plunges into Trinity River Early This Morning
![Helicopter at the scene of today's shooting on Bell Springs Road.[Photos by Jacob Whitney]](https://kymkemp.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Jacob-Whitney-photo-of-CHP-helicopter-at-homicide.jpg)
Stock photo of a CHP helicopter. [Photo by Jacob Whitney]
An infant is missing, one person was taken to the hospital, and a man was briefly unaccounted for following a crash early this morning on State Route 299 about two miles east of Big Flat, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The crash was first reported around 1:50 a.m. Initial information indicated that a vehicle had left the highway and entered the Trinity River. A woman reportedly escaped the wreck and was picked up by a passerby. A man who had also exited the vehicle was briefly missing but was later located.
As daylight broke, a helicopter located the vehicle submerged in the river. Officer Crick of the CHP confirmed that an infant who had been inside the vehicle remains missing. Search and Rescue operations, including air support and multiple agencies such as the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office and Hoopa emergency services, are involved in the ongoing response.
By approximately 6:15 a.m., one adult had been transported to Trinity General Hospital. The highway has since reopened to one-way traffic control near mile marker 34, east of Wheel Gulch Road.
Officer Crick stated that no alcohol or drugs are suspected to have played a role in the crash. The cause remains under investigation.
UPDATE 9:23 a.m.: According to a news release from the California Highway Patrol’s Trinity River Area Office, a 2004 Lexus ES 330 was traveling eastbound on SR-299 around 1:35 a.m. when it left the roadway, went down an embankment, and became submerged in the Trinity River. The driver, a 21-year-old woman from Shasta Lake, and a 19-year-old male passenger sustained minor to moderate injuries and were transported to Trinity General Hospital. A 9-month-old infant also in the vehicle remains missing. The CHP confirms that neither alcohol nor drugs appear to be factors, and the crash remains under investigation.Crash west of Big Flat 5.1.25
Update:
- [Update: Baby Oliver Recovered] Tragedy on the Trinity: Ongoing Search for Infant Swept Away in River Crash
- [Update: PR from TCSAR] BREAKING: Baby Oliver Has Been Found in Trinity River, Says Volunteer Diver Juan Heredia
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To sad.
Trinity River needs way more guardrails, like a lot of our waterways. What a tragedy.
Ppl need to slow down as well, a real tragedy…
No it doesn’t.
That stretch is the most dangerous of all of 299, in my opinion. Burnt ranch to Junction City, with Big Flat to North Fork T.R., eastbound, being the worst. So sad to read this today.
Prayers to the infant and presumed parents.
Right! And driving that section at 1:30am is doubly challenging. My heart knows the pain those young parents are feeling. What a tragedy, for everyone.
My heart breaks after reading this article. I was not there so I am not really sure what happened to cause the driver, passenger and 9-month-old infant to be submerged in the Trinity River. Why was the woman picked up by a passerby. Was she in shock or trying to escape. The man also was reported missing but was found later. How can any person leave that scene when there is a baby child missing from the submerged vehicle. I pray to God the infant is found and by God’s graces will still be alive. A huge thank you to the CHP and other searchers for trying their very best to find the infant. Just so very sad.
I presume that since the river was deep enough to submerged a vehicle, the water was deep, black and swift. When escaping the vehicle, a person being swept down stream is a logical conclusion. If they had windows open or were unable to access the back seat to release the child or child may have been swept away as the adults tried to rescue… What a horrendous trauma to carry forever.
Cindy, I am not sure if they cared for the infant or not, as both tried to leave the scene. You are correct that the water was deep, and I am sure black as hell and swift.
You don’t know that Martin, you weren’t there.
You don’t either Mel!
From reading other articles I have found that the man and baby were both swept down stream and in the process the baby had been swept away from the dad 🙁
Way to criticize when not.there .I am sure both feel like crap
I am guessing the make was either swept downstream when he escaped or went back in looking for the baby
The mom probably went to the road to find some help and get a rescue going
That’s what I would have done in that situation one person look for baby the other look for help
Prayers out for everyone I am sure they feel guilty enough without everyone second guessing their actions
We really don’t have any information. But if we have to speculate, I think that one likely possibility is the mother ran to get help and the male was in the car trying to get the child and was swept away and later made it to land and was found.
Here’s an article on escaping a vehicle in water https://www.rospa.com/leisure-water-safety/water/advice/vehicles
1:35 in the morning and sunk in an ice cold river. I’m surprised they found the door handles in time before they also became fatalities. I will assume nothing but can at least hope the infant would still be in a car seat, as that isn’t mentioned except in comments.
I agree. I can’t imagine the horror of the situation and can only hope that I never have to face anything like it.
Kym, I think your take makes the most sense. Mother went for help, and the young man tried to rescue the infant. We do have some information though; “As daylight broke, a helicopter located the vehicle submerged in the river”. The accident happened in the middle of the night. Anyone surviving the wreck would be lucky to get out, but once out, may not have been able to locate the vehicle again. The river was flowing about 4,200 cubic feet per second, not the typical 500 or so people are used to seeing. A vehicle underwater, in the dark, in swift moving and cold high water.
https://dashboard.waterdata.usgs.gov/api/gwis/2.1/service/site?agencyCode=USGS&siteNumber=11527000&open=16629
Having lived less than twenty miles from this accident site, for nearly 30 years, I can only remind people to drive this road slowly and carefully, pull over and rest when tired, avoid it entirely during inclement weather, and never take your eyes off the road or take unnecessary chances (like tuning the radio, or adjusting the heater). It only takes a split second on this highway to steal away all your dreams; it just isn’t worth it.
From some info that hasn’t been confirmed, I believe that the helicopter located another vehicle in the water not the correct one. This is the story as told by the diver that has been searching for the vehicle and he says he found it. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?extid=MSG-UNK-UNK-UNK-IOS_GK0T-GK1C&mibextid=wwXIfr&v=1233601301695215
I travel 299 often to visit grandkids in Redding. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve almost been run off the road by a#$holes behind me, who won’t wait for me to turnout safely. Which I always do, when I can. I hate these ppl.
Fyi word is the mom was unbuckling the baby and was handing baby to dad when the current swept it away, potentially out a back broken window according to diver who went to the submerged car. There are many comment on that divers post stating the above info., and action news has an article. Most likely the dad stayed in water looking for baby. The car is still fully submerged, the diver had to use magnets to find it. Its beyond sad&i really hope the parents get counseling, not easy to come back from the guilty feelings 😞
Gofundme link attached.
Not surprised at all by Martin, its kinda his specialty to send thoughts and prayers while hating on the people involved. The armchair conjecture&BS with wretched assumptions towards people living in a nightmare are awful, not the first time at all.
You saying they must not have cared for the child since they left the scene is despicable. I have screenshots of all your horrible comments from many articles, including this one.
But I would like to once again thank martin for his reminder of how horribly evil kkkristians like him are, anytime I forget (which these days its rare), I can always count on martin to be an armchair jerkoff. You remind me almost daily to not trust kkkristians.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-family-in-need-grieving-a-loss-after-a-tragic-accident
Martin started off by insinuating the parents were trying to “escape” from the scene — then insinuated they didn’t care about the baby — then said he wasn’t criticizing anyone!
He tried to silence one of his critics by telling them “silence is golden” and they should practice it! — this coming from a guy who followed up his original insensitive remarks by posting over a half-dozen more times trying to justify his original despicable comment.
In this case the car went down a steep embankment in darkness into a raging river and was swept downstream — it’s a miracle either of the parents survived — and as you mention there’s reason to believe they put their own lives further at risk by trying to save the baby.
Martin should stick to his usual insincere expressions of sympathy and quit casting judgement on others or assuming he knows what happened.
I did not criticize anything. Please read my posted comment above. Written three hours ago.
Martin…you assumed they were “leaving the scene”. There is no indication at all to justify that statement, which on the face reads like a judgement of character.
The woman caught a ride with a passerby and the man was located some distance down the road by CHP. I think you would call that leaving the scene.
Yes you did, your comments reprehensible.
Where is your comment on this accident and how you see how things have played out.
I don’t think so and I believe it will all come out if there is a follow up report on this accident.
This can’t be true Martin! You weren’t there at 2am out by Big Flat? I always counted on your speculation.
Mel, silence is golden give it a try please.
Dude, listen to yourself and stop trying to walk back your remarks. You’re just digging the hole deeper
No signs of impairment?! But the child is missing! A child is required to be in a child car seat strapped in. It’s very unlikely that a child secured properly would be “missing”
just like the Ferndale child just “slipped off the truck”
I don’t think so.
Accidents do happen to innocent people bud…May you be so lucky in life that you do not expirence such heartbreak and sorrow
I felt like that ferndale incident should have received a violation. But I wasn’t there either. The trinity is fast 3000 cfs or more they were lucky to get out them selves. Maybe they got the car seat unbuckled . Very tragic.
Missing in this case could mean that the child is still in their car seat in the car but that no one knows as the vehicle is submerged and it will take time to recover it.
This is probably the case. Getting divers in this section of the river is a daunting task.
You have zero knowledge of the realities of accidents.
Kid could be in the car seat.
Parents could have taken him out to try and get him to safety and current took him
current and crash could have popped the car seat loose and kid was taken away
In short many many other possibilities and I am sure the parents, no matter what will blame themselves and have guilt for the rest of their livs without your input and second guessing them.
Try to have some class and really think before you post.
What I do know is that if my baby was stuck in a car (car seat or whatever) there’s no way in hell I wouldn’t keep trying to save my baby even if that meant me dying trying. That’s what a parent should do.
You have no idea what you would do in that situation. I have seen it many times people think. You just like to run off at the mouth. Good thing I am not kym I would delete your comments in this situation. Thoe parents dont need your bullshit.
It’s always easy to say what we’d do in a crisis we’ve never lived through—especially from behind a screen and a pseudonym. Reality can be a lot more complicated than most of us are willing to admit.
Beautifully said. Until we’ve lived through something, we don’t know what it’s like.
Why wouldn’t the parents report that they had tried to take the baby out of car seat to get it to safety, there are many possibilities, I do pray for the parents and the baby that is involved!
such a tragedy 😞
Why does the CHP report say the infant is fatal when they don’t know for sure, although I sadly presume they’re assumption is correct.
It sure does. And the collision says fatal. Sad day for all involved.
Because an infant could not survive the subversion. Car seats do not float.
Sorry. Submersion.
Damn autocorrect!
It could be that the infant is strapped into a car seat, in the vehicle. They know it’s dead, but they haven’t been able to retrieve the body. Just one possible scenario…
Contact diver Juan H.
I’ll never understand why people are so quick to offer criticism over condolence. Accidents happen and not every circumstance can be explained. There aren’t always answers to why things happen. They were just in a horrible accident, both were injured,scared,cold,and very young. They need support and kindness and prayer. Not to be blamed or shamed or wrongfully accused. Im sure their hearts are broken beyond anything most have the capacity to fully even imagine how that would feel. The desperation and fear and guilt im sure the already feel on top of the pain from their physical injuries must be awful. We should be praying that that little baby be found instead of spewing more hate and stupidity out the holes in your faces. I mean seriously. Like Wtf.
Agree 100%, it seems this happens pretty much anytime there is a tragic incident. Why add insult to injury by playing judge or wanna be detective when clearly hearts are breaking and family/friends are in great pain.
6:53 pm
Just checking to see if there’s any progress in finding the baby.
It brings up so many questions…about baby seats, etc.
I wonder if baby seats are designed to deal with such a traumatic event.
Please keep us informed if you get any updates.
We weren’t there when this tragedy struck. Maybe we could be less judgmental and more empathetic.
The Woman drivibg, and Man will forever feel this trauma in their lives. We were no there, and no nothing about the %100 facts. People can guess and state horrible comments, but that does nothing but hurt deeper, and leave a scar. Just my thoughts, because i took water, and swift water training, in case of a vehicle accident. It was late, or super warly morning, veey dark, roads may have been icy, not sure. The vwhucle left the roadway, and plunged in thw river, even darker, frantic, scarry, quickly thinkong: what do I do. There is no time to think. They cant see anything, the woman makes it out. Perhaps, the man tried to save the baby, in swift, cold, deep water. He got swept down, srarted to drown, baby gpt away from hi., pitch dark he couldnt see anything. Out of air, and injured. He barely makes it to shore, where he was found. The woman tries to find help.
I am sorry for assuming, the baby cpuld very well still be in the car, depending how deep the water was.
The main point is to not blame the Man and woman. What if the same thing happen to you. We can pray for the Woman, Man and Baby. Ask if they need any kind of help.
It is HORRIBLE that people who are CLUELESS on what happened…and conditions when it happened are stating adults were attempting to leave scene. I realize your desire to see your opinion anywhere opinion fact or fictional in your head be published and read by many but in this instance make you morons
Unfortunately, despite searching low and high, the moonshiners’ 9-Month-Old Still Not Found.
I’ve spent the last year working from one end of this highway to the other and have seen some pretty bad wrecks but this one is devastating. I pray for these people. So sad.
Several years ago I was involved in an eerily similar case near Hoopa. The parents got the baby out, but all were separated by the current. The parents washed ashore at separate points down stream. They were brought to the ER with minor injuries but severe hypothermia, both very distraught. Later the infant was found and brought in but had drowned. This is a horrible tragedy. My condolences to the parents and family.
Live in Humboldt long enough and you’ll meet someone who’s lost a child, relative, or friend in the Trinity.
Prayer’s to all involved and those who love them. Just heartbreaking 💔
I wish God would go out of his way to prove atheists wrong right now…