An unrestrained child was ejected from the vehicle in an accident Wednesday morning in Storm Lake. The Storm Lake Police and Fire Departments responded to the scene on the west side of town on Highway 7 at approximately 8:05 a.m. They were advised that a five-year-old male had been ejected and another person was trapped. Upon arrival, they learned that another child, a three-year-old female from the same vehicle, was also unrestrained and had been injured, but not ejected. An investigation alleges that 79-year-old Francisco Placido Sanchez of Storm Lake was eastbound on Highway 7 in a 2005 Pontiac Montana. It is believed that 29-year-old Owenson Alex of Lakeside ran the stop sign in the northbound lane of Highway 110. His 2007 Chevrolet Suburban collided with the Sanchez vehicle, causing both to skid out of control, ejecting the five-year-old from the Alex Suburban. Alex, Sanchez and the children were transported to Buena Vista Regional Medical Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. The Alex SUV was deemed a total loss and the Montana sustained an estimated $6,000 in damage. Alex was cited on two counts of failure to use child restraints and one count of disobeying a traffic control device.
