Five Young Girls Trapped In Car That Slid Down Embankment

Waterloo firefighters attach a cable from a Wheat’s Towing truck to the frame of a car that slid down an embankment today near the intersection of D Road and HH Road in rural Monroe County.

Five teenage girls avoided serious injuries in an accident this morning when the driver apparently lost control of her Pontiac Sunfire and it slid down a steep embankment on D Road, just south of HH Road. The front of the car hit a tree and came to rest a couple feet from a ledge with a 40-feet drop.

“If they didn’t hit a tree and come to a stop, they might have slid to the bottom and the injuries could have been much worse,” said Waterloo Assistant Fire Chief Jim Dietz.

Waterloo firefighters, Monroe County Ambulance personnel and Steve Wheat of Wheat’s Towing secured the car to keep it from sliding down the hill then pulled it back to the roadway. Once the Sunfire was back on D Road, firefighters used Jaws of Life to pry open the doors, freeing the girls. Three of the girls were able to exit the car on their own, while two had minor injuries and were taken by stretchers to a waiting Monroe County ambulance. The names of those involved have not yet been released.

Waterloo firefighters Andrew Glessner, left, and Jim Dietz guide the Sunfire back to the roadway.

One person sustained minor injuries Sunday morning in a rollover accident in rural Waterloo. Kailin Mudd, 20, was driving a Saturn on HH Road at 4:20 a.m. when he swerved to miss a deer near the intersection of Prairie Rose. The car rolled and came to rest in a nearby field. One of the passengers received minor injuries and was transported by the Monroe County Ambulance Service to St. Anthony’s Medical Center in St. Louis.

Pipe Bombs Destroy Two Mailboxes
Two individuals are being questioned by the United States Postal Inspector in connection with the explosions of two mail boxes last Friday. At 9:30 a.m., homeowners on Kopp Road on the east end of Monroe County reported an explosion at their neighbor’s house. Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene and discovered a mail box was destroyed. A second report came in at 12:45 p.m. of a mailbox exploding on Hillscastle Road in rural Columbia.

“It appears pipe bombs were used to cause the explosions,” said Monroe County Sheriff Dan Kelley.

No one was injured in the explosions, but Kelley said if someone was close to the mailboxes they could have been severely injured. There was no mail in either box, Kelley said.

Kelley said the postal inspector would likely turn the case over to the U.S. Attorney’s office if charges are warranted. Names of the suspects have not been released.

Farmer’s Tractor Pull Highlights Monday Night At The Fair

Todd Siebert pulls his International tractor just over 291 feet Monday night to take first place in the 9,000-pound Illinois Hot Farm class of the farmer’s class tractor pull.  – photo by Judy Brinkmann

Steve Yearian accepts his first place trophy from Fair Queen Emily Hopkins, center, and Little Miss Madalyn Valerius. He won the 12,000-pound farmer’s stock class on Monday night at the Monroe County Fair.  – photo by Judy Brinkmann

First place winners in each class last night were:
Open semi truck: Aaron Schnaus of Columbia
9,000-pound tractor: Travis Gummersheimer of Columbia
12,000-pound tractor: Steve Yearian of Fults
9,000-pound hot farm: Todd Siebert of Altamont
5,800 ITPA modified: Kevin Frerking of New Baden
12,000-pound ITPA farm stock: Scott Hoene of Neoga
ITPA semi-truck: Jeremy Walker of Danville

Tuesday night’s events include the open class horse show at 6 p.m., and the 4x4 street truck pull at 7 p.m. Check out the fair’s website for a complete listing of events and times: www.monroecounty-fair.org. Stay tuned to The Independent for daily reports from the fairgrounds.