A 2-year-old girl died from injuries sustained when she was thrown from a vehicle in a crash Monday in Bayfield County.
The girl and other passengers who were injured in the crash were not properly restrained in the car, according to the Wisconsin State Patrol, and court records show that the driver, the girl's mother, had been fined for failing to restrain children in a vehicle twice in the past.
Chelsea Cadotte of Bayfield was driving a Chevrolet Blazer south on state Highway 13 just north of Washburn on Monday when the vehicle left the road and rolled through a ditch and into a field, according to the State Patrol, ejecting and badly injuring all four of her passengers. Cadotte was not ejected from the vehicle and was in fair condition Tuesday.
The Wisconsin State Patrol is investigating the accident and said none of the people in the car were using seat belts or child restraints. Pictures taken from the scene show one child seat scattered among the crash wreckage in the field.
The patrol said that under state law, Cadotte could face civil penalties for the lack of seat belt use and possible criminal charges.
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Cadotte's daughter, Mariah Gordon, 2, died after the accident. Myley Gordon, 4, remained in critical condition Tuesday evening at Essentia Health St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth. Spokeswoman Kim Kaiser said Carter Gordon, 6, and Erica Gonzales, 15, were in serious condition.
All four were airlifted from Ashland after the accident that occurred about 1 p.m. Cadotte arrived in Duluth via an ambulance, authorities said. Numerous first responders and ambulances were called to the scene.
Court records in Bayfield County show that Cadotte was stopped May 21 and eventually pleaded guilty by "no contest" to three charges related to
seat belt use, one for herself, one for an older child and one for a child younger than 4. She was fined $170 for the offenses, records show.
Six days later, she was stopped again, court records show. She was charged and found guilty of a fifth offense for driving with a suspended license, court records show.
In April 2011, the court record shows, Cadotte was found guilty of not restraining a child in her vehicle and fined $170.
