MOUNT VERNON, Wash. - A 27-year-old mother and father have been released from Skagit Valley Hospital following a serious single-car crash in downtown Mount Vernon Wednesday night, but their three children, ages 2, 5 and 7, remain in the hospital.
The 5-year-old was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with critical injuries after being taken to Skagit Valley Hospital.
Police investigators say the car was speeding when it drifted over the center line about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. It smashed into a
telephone pole, causing the pole to move several inches. The car eventually landed in a bush next to the pole.
Mario Salas, 29, lives nearby, and ran to help.
"I heard a huge crack and ran outside to hear the woman screaming," said Salas. "I didn't have any shoes, but I ran over and the kids were
all bloody."
Salas says he helped pulled the children to safety.
"Another man handed me the kids and I laid them on the sidewalk, we had to cut the seatbelts," he said. "I probably wasn't supposed to do that but they needed help. I held the 5-year-old in my arms until the ambulance came."
Salas describes the scene as chaotic. He said the children did not appear to have any child safety seats.
Police say the family of five was living out of the 4-door Hyundai Sedan. The mother, who was believed to be driving the vehicle, was arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence of illegal narcotics.
"I just hope the kids survive," said Salas. "I haven't had any nightmares about it yet, but I have two kids of my own. I never want to
see anything like that again."
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