2 Children ‘Miraculously’ Unharmed After Vehicle Lands on Its Roof in Ditch, Alleged Drunk Driver Arrested

On the weekend of Aug. 22, a driver was arrested after a rollover crash left a vehicle upside down in a ditch in Appleton, Wisc. The two children in the backseat were unharmed, officials said.

Appleton Police Department/Facebook

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Two young children survived after they were involved in a rollover crash that resulted in a vehicle landing upside down in a ditch in Appleton, Wisc., in August

The driver has since been arrested and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, as well as other offenses

“The fact that no one was seriously injured or killed is a miracle,” the Appleton Police Department said

Two children were “miraculously” unharmed after a vehicle landed on its roof in a ditch following a single-vehicle crash in Wisconsin, police said.

On the weekend of Aug. 22, officers were dispatched to a rollover crash that left the vehicle involved upside down in shallow water in a ditch off a highway in Appleton, the Appleton Police Department said in a post on Saturday, Aug. 29.

When they arrived, they found two young children in the backseat, strapped into car seats that were “improperly installed,” officials said.

The children and the driver were then transported to a local hospital for evaluation.

“Miraculously, both children were uninjured,” police said.

Following an investigation, the unnamed driver was taken into custody and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing injury (a second offense), with a minor inside the vehicle. The person was also charged with four other crimes, including possession of open intoxicants in a vehicle.

“We are once again reminding the public of the obvious and entirely avoidable dangers of drunk driving,” wrote the police department in its alert in which they reminded the public to drive sober.

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The Appleton Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment about the driver’s identity and whether they had secured legal representation. It is unclear what the relationship is between the adult and the two children in the vehicle.

“The fact that no one was seriously injured or killed is a miracle,” the department said. “But it should not take a miracle to get everyone home safely.”

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Every day, approximately 32 people in the United States are killed in drunk-driving crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In 2024, “11,904 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths,” the organization said.

For the police department, the crash was an important reminder to drive sober.

“Make a plan before you drink,” officials said. “Designate a sober driver, call a friend, use a rideshare service, or find another safe way home.”

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