HENDERSON, Texas — A 5-year-old is dead and four others were injured following a one-vehicle crash on Saturday.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, around 7:45 p.m., troopers responded to the wreck which occurred on Highway 64 , just west of Henderson.
The preliminary investigation indicates an SUV, driven by Iliana Ayala, 28, of Henderson, was traveling east on SH 64 and for an unknown reason left the roadway on the south side.
The SUV then traveled in the grass south of the roadway and hit a shallow creek with its front end causing the vehicle to flip end over end, ejecting three children who were passengers in the vehicle.
Ayala and Edna Grinaldo, 25, of Tyler, were taken to a local hospital and are stable.
DPS says a 5-year-old girl was pronounced dead at a Tyler hospital. Two other children, a 3-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl, were taken to a local hospital in serious condition.
Grinaldo was the only occupant wearing a seat belt, according to DPS.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when it comes to drivers and front-seat passengers, seat belts can decrease the risk of death by 45%, and reduce the risk of serious injury by 50%.
"Seat belts prevent drivers and passengers from being ejected during a crash," the CDC said. "People not wearing a seat belt are 30 times more likely to be ejected from a vehicle during a crash."
The crash remains under investigation.