A Pike County second-grader is being called a hero after helping her friends escape a crash that killed three people last weekend.

Eight-year-old Amelia Freeland was riding home from a Girl Scout trip to Holiday World on August 29th when the vehicle she was in was hit head-on. Her mother, Tasha Cox, says Amelia immediately helped free her friends and got one of them out of the vehicle.

“Would you like to tell them what happened? You know what happened,” Cox asked her daughter.

“We flipped over,” Amelia said.

Cox says her daughter has energy to burn — and that energy kicked in the moment the crash happened.

The crash happened on State Road 64 near Stendal. Amanda Wertman, her daughter, her son and two other children were on their way home from a Pike County Girl Scout trip to Holiday World when the driver of another vehicle, who was fleeing from police, hit Wertman’s vehicle head-on.

Wertman and her daughter, 8-year-old Michaela, died in the crash, along with the other driver. Three children, including Amelia, survived.

“My kiddo, whatever this all come about, she told us that the car flipped over and that the other car was on fire,” Cox said. “And that she got unbuckled her seat belt and got out and then she went and helped the other kids unbuckle their seat belts.”

Cox says 8-year-old Amelia got herself and 5-year-old Theodore Wertman out of the vehicle. She says the two were sitting by the car when first responders arrived.

Amelia and Theodore were discharged this week and are continuing to recover at home.

“She has compressed fractures in her neck. They told me it’ll be about four to six weeks before they should be healing,” Cox said.

Doctors say more X-rays and physical therapy could follow once Amelia’s neck brace comes off.

“She is walking kind of funny. She’s got a pretty nasty bruise on her hip and her pelvic area on the right side,” Cox said. “Amelia’s saying it hurts when she walks a certain way. So she’s walking where it feels comfortable.”

Cox says she’s grateful for the outpouring of community support, and she’s praying for the other families involved.

8-year-old Oaklie Disney remains in the hospital after suffering severe injuries including brain bleeds from the crash. Her mother says Oaklie continues to experience dizziness and vomiting and is having trouble eating.

GoFundMe accounts have been set up for the crash victims and their families. Cox says if you’re unable to help financially, the family could also use some help at home.

You can find the GoFundMe for Amelia here. It was created by Amelia’s aunt Cierrah Freeland. You can also message Tasha Cox on Facebook here or call her at 812-581-0015, if you want to help in other ways.

You can find the GoFundMe for Oaklie here.

You can find the GoFundMe for the Wertman family here.