OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — Three young brothers died in Michigan after their mother’s car struck a curb and crashed into an iced-over retention pond on Thursday, officials with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
Deputies identified the boys as Jerome, 4, Jeremiah, 3, and Josiah Gonzales, 1, MLive.com reported.
The boy’s mother, identified only as a 31-year-old Holland Township woman, survived, CNN reported.
According to MLive.com, the two older boys died at an area hospital after they were recovered from the submerged vehicle, and police were notified early Friday that the youngest had also died.
Sheriff Steve Kempker, a former crash reconstructionist who has investigated hundreds of crashes, told the news outlet that he could not imagine the loss.
“First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the family. It’s just an unbelievable, tragic loss,” Kempker said.
Ottawa County Sheriff’s Lt. Eric Westveer confirmed to CNN that the woman was able to escape the Chevrolet Tahoe but could not free her sons, who were restrained by seat belts and car seats. She has been treated for minor injuries.
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