Boy dies after crash

MEEKER I A 9-year-old boy died the day after he was a passenger in a two-vehicle accident, while his 12-year-old sister remained in intensive care.
The children were backseat passengers in a Dodge Caravan driven by their mother, Vanessa Martin. The accident occurred shortly after 7 a.m. Tuesday on Highway 13, about one mile from town.
Stone Martin died Wednesday morning at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction from injuries he suffered in the accident. His older sister Alahna was taken to Children’s Hospital in Denver, where she underwent surgery Tuesday night to repair a torn bowel. Both children were airlifted to hospitals after the accident.
“They think they were successful,” family friend Sondra Garcia said of Alahna’s surgery. “Today (Wednesday), they are going to start bringing her out of her sedation and take her off the respirator. That’s all good.”
Alahna’s injuries included a collapsed lung and a broken sternum, Garcia said. She also had some bleeding on the brain.
“Her extremities are moving, so they feel hopeful there’s no paralysis,” Garcia said.
The vehicle driven by Vanessa Martin, which had been traveling southbound, traveled onto the right shoulder of the road and rotated counterclockwise, according to the report by the Colorado State Patrol. The van traveled about 226 feet before crossing into the northbound lane and colliding with a Chevrolet Impala driven by Carla Slagle of Rangely. The van then traveled 15 feet off the left side of the road, while rotating clockwise. It continued down a steep embankment about 26 feet and came to rest on a barbed-wire fence.
Both drivers sustained “moderate” injuries. All occupants were wearing seat belts.
“Excessive speed for road conditions is considered a factor in this crash,” the report stated.
Vanessa’s husband, Paul Martin, is pastor of the Church of Christ in Meeker and is the information system analyst for White River Electric.
An account has been opened for the Martin family at First National Bank of the Rockies to help with medical and other expenses.