GREAT FALLS - An eight-year-old boy from Great Falls died in a crash of a four-wheeler in Judith Basin County on Saturday, August 30.
The Judith Basin County Sheriff's Office said it happened about 6:45 p.m.
Central Montana Dispatch received a 911 call reporting the crash in the area of Hughesville; the patient was reported to be unresponsive and bleeding.
According to the Sheriff's Office, the juvenile driver was thrown from the four-wheeler and sustained severe injuries.
The Sheriff's Office noted that the boy was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter said the crash happened within Judith Basin County, approximately a half mile from Dry Fork Belt Creek Road on Butcher Knife Divide.
The child was brought into Cascade County as part of efforts to provide medical intervention.
The initial call reported that the 8-year-old had been driving an ATV as the sole occupant.
He and another juvenile had pulled ahead of their family while riding. When the boy’s father came around a corner, he found his son unresponsive on the ground.
Sgt. Sanders of the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office was flagged down and took the child and his father in his patrol vehicle to meet medical personnel at the intersection of Hughesville Road and Highway 89.
Despite lifesaving measures performed by Sgt. Sanders and Belt Rural Fire for more than 30 minutes, the child was pronounced deceased around 7:51 p.m.
Sheriff Slaughter and CCSO detectives arrived on scene at 9:34 p.m. to assist with documentation and coordination.
The child’s helmet was recovered and found to have severe damage. Due to the victim’s age and the circumstances of this tragedy, an autopsy has been requested.
A GoFundMe has been created to help the family; it states, in part:
Our family suffered the unthinkable when my sister Stephanie’s sweet 8-year-old son, Jaxson, was taken from us in a four-wheeler accident while camping. Jaxson was the wild card, always smiling, never afraid to do something new. He just started 3rd grade at Chief Jo and was only a couple of weeks away from celebrating his 9th birthday. There are no words for the heartbreak his parents and siblings are going through right now. Along with the grief, they will be facing unexpected expenses and loss of work through the difficult road of trying to navigate such a devastating loss.
Click here if you would like to make a donation.
Responding agencies include: Judith Basin County Sheriff's Office, Cascade County Sheriff’s Office, Monarch Fire/EMS, Belt Ambulance, Neihart Fire/EMS, Montana Highway Patrol, USDA Forest Service.
The Judith Basin County Sheriff's Office added: "As always, a special thanks to the amazing voices in our heads at Central MT Dispatch and Cascade County Dispatch."
