LINCOLN CITY, Ore. – A Grand Ronde woman has been indicted for driving under the influence, reckless driving, reckless endangering and assault after crashing her SUV into a creek with her three young children inside last month.
Oregon State Trooper Bryan Fitch said 26-year-old Amber Lee Gandy was arrested Thursday and taken to the Lincoln County Jail.
Gandy, along with her infant son, two-year-old daughter, and three-year-old son were pulled from the SUV by Good Samaritans after she crashed into a creek outside Lincoln City.
Gandy's 6-month-old son, Kameron, was not breathing when he was pulled out of the SUV in his car-seat but paramedics were able to revive him. He was rushed to Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital in Lincoln City along with Amber, two-year-old Kylie and three-year-old Austin Gandy.
The crash was reported by a man and wife who live on Widow Creek Road and spotted the crash just after it occurred. They said the Ford Explorer was upside down in the creek, half-submerged in rushing water, according to Mark Meister, with the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office.
While his wife called 9-1-1, the man, who wished to remain anonymous, ran into the rushing water and was able to get Kylie and Austin out of their car-seats and safely to shore. Then, he helped Amber get out of the car but it wasn’t until after she reached the shore that everyone realized the infant was still in the SUV.
“He then learned that there was a 6-month old still trapped in a car-seat located in the front, passenger seat of the vehicle. He was able to get Kameron from the vehicle and to the shore, but Kameron was not breathing and did not have a pulse,” Meister said.
Kameron was later transferred from North Lincoln Hospital to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in a LifeFlight helicopter in critical condition. Kylie, Austin, and Amber were treated and released in Lincoln City.
“Evidence revealed that Amber Gandy was under the influence of intoxicants and that alcohol was a contributing factor of the traffic crash,” Meister said.
