A young girl was left critically injured but is recovering after she was involved in an ATV rollover accident in Hebron that required her to be flown to the hospital.
The incident happened just before 7:15 p.m. on August 4, according to Hebron-Alden-Greenwood Fire Chief Thomas Linneman.
Linneman said family members brought a young child to the Hebron-Alden-Greenwood Fire Protection District station, 12302 Route 173 in Hebron.
The girl had been critically injured in an ATV crash, Linneman said.
A medical helicopter was requested and paramedics rushed the girl to Mercyhealth Hospital and Medical Center in Harvard for immediate care, Linneman said.
The LifeNet medical helicopter landed at the hospital and the child was transferred to the flight crew.
The helicopter flew the girl to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is a Level 1 trauma center.
Linneman said he did not have further details on the crash and that the Hebron Police Department was investigating.
He added the crash happened very close to the fire station and there were no other reported injured victims.
Hebron resident Ion Stear said the incident involved his daughter, Charlotte, and that she and her brother were riding a four-wheeler when it rolled over.
Charlotte was believed to have had her head crushed between the handlebars and the ground.
The girl suffered a skull fracture and a brain bleed and underwent surgery, which went well, Stear said.
He said that Charlotte had a plate and some screws placed under her scalp along with lots of stitches. Her cheekbone and inner ear both sustained small fractures as well.
The girl was able to lift her arms, move her legs, squeeze her hands and give a “thumbs up” after surgery, Stear said, adding that she knew where she was and what day of the week it was.
Charlotte was released from the hospital on Tuesday, on her eighth birthday, which was “one of the best birthday presents she could have asked for,” her father said.
“Seven days ago we feared the worst, the ride to Harvard and then the drive up to Milwaukee, no one can prepare you for those feelings and emotions. But thanks to an amazing team between Hebron rescue squad, Harvard ER, the flight team and all the people involved at Children’s Milwaukee that wasn’t the case,” Stear said.
The girl is still on the road to recovery but is doing well cognitively.