Central Point infant injured in crash now home, doing well - News - MailTribune.com - Medford, OR

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Central Point infant injured in crash now home, doing well Sunday Jun 4, 2017 at 12:01 AM By Jeff Duewel of the Grants Pass Daily Courier A 5-month-old Central Point girl who was airlifted to Portland after a car crash last week on Rogue River Highway got out of the hospital Wednesday and is recovering well, her uncle said on Thursday. Alice Wilson was at Oregon Health & Science University for five days with a head injury, Dennis Wilson of Shady Cove said. "She's not expected to have lasting problems," Wilson said. He is taking care of the baby now, and the Oregon Department of Human Services is involved, he said. The baby's father, Nick Wilson, 33, is still recovering at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield. He suffered nine broken ribs, two collapsed lungs and a shattered pelvis, his brother said. "He's going to have to go to physical therapy," said Dennis Wilson, adding that his brother is out of the intensive care unit. The baby's mother, 19-year-old Alexis Mehlmauer, has recovered from her injuries, Wilson said. Mehlmauer is Nick Wilson's girlfriend. On May 25, Mehlmauer was driving a pickup that left Rogue River Highway near Grants Pass and traveled more than 100 feet before hitting a large tree. The truck hit the tree with such force that the child protective seat Alice was riding in snapped where it attaches to a seatbelt, propelling the child forward, according to Oregon State Police Trooper Scott Holsworth. He said debris in the car kept the seat from traveling far. "It shredded that plastic," Holsworth said. Holsworth said he could not determine whether the child was buckled in properly, but the baby was still in the seat after the crash. A bystander pulled the child out through the back window, Holsworth said. The passenger door had to be cut off to pull Nick Wilson from the truck, Holsworth said. Trooper Holsworth and Dennis Wilson both confirmed that the couple were arguing when the crash occurred. Mehlmauer told Holsworth she tried to dump a soft drink on her boyfriend and lost focus on her driving because of a struggle for the container. Holsworth said there was no sign of impairment of the driver. Holsworth said any potential charges in the crash would be up to the Josephine County District Attorney's Office. None have been filed. Reach reporter Jeff Duewel at 541-474-3720 or [email protected].