March 12, 2003

Girl cut from truck that hit tree

         A 6-year-old girl and her mother were injured when their pickup truck crashed into a tree in Greenwood on Wednesday afternoon.  Diana Winkler, 36, and daughter Morgan Winkler, 6, were rushed to Wishard Memorial Hospital.  The girl suffered leg, hip and internal injuries; the mother, shoulder pain, firefighters said.  Their red Dodge pickup struck a tree in the 1600 block of Fry Road.  Once White River Township firefighters arrived at 2:45 p.m., it took 25 minutes to cut the girl from the twisted wreckage.  Morgan "did very well; she was focused on helping us get her out.  She was talking to us and answered appropriate questions," Battalion Chief Joel Thacker said.  "For a 6-year-old in that type of situation, she did outstanding."  Both mother and daughter were in the front seat and wearing seat belts.  Thacker praised Diana Winkler for having the pickup's front-seat airbags switched off.  Although the safety devices are highly effective in protecting adults in a crash, they potentially could cause head injuries to a small child sitting in a front seat, he said.  "If it had deployed, it could have killed the girl," Thacker said of the air bag.  Both were treated at Wishard Hospital and released Wednesday, a hospital spokesman said.  Greenwood police were investigating the crash.  (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal)

                       
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