Mother, 8-year-old daughter killed in crash on the way home from Girl Scout trip

PIKE COUNTY, Ind. (WFIE/Gray News) - A mother and her 8-year-old daughter were killed in a crash as they headed home from a Girl Scout trip to an Indiana theme park. Three other children were injured in the incident.

Amanda Wertman, 41, and her 8-year-old daughter, Michaela Wertman, were both killed Saturday evening on State Road 64 in Pike County, Indiana.

Indiana State Police say Wertman was driving a van that had her daughter, her 5-year-old son Theodore Wertman and two other children inside when she was hit head-on by a man who was involved in a police chase. Police say the chase began after a Pike County Sheriff’s Department deputy responded to a domestic violence call at a gas station.

Wertman and the other driver, who has not been identified, were pronounced dead at the scene. Michaela was later pronounced dead at a Louisville, Kentucky, hospital.

The three other children in the van were all hospitalized but are expected to recover, police say. In addition to Theodore, they have been identified as 8-year-old Oaklie Disney and second grader Amelia Freeland.

Oaklie’s mother, Elizabeth Disney, says the group was heading back from a Girl Scout trip to Holiday World when the crash happened.

Oaklie was flown to the hospital after the crash, where she was put in the pediatric intensive care unit. Her mother says her injuries are significant, and she could be in the hospital for a while.

Amelia was also flown to the hospital after the crash. She had an MRI, and her mother, Tasha Freeland, says the family is waiting on the results.

Freeland says Amelia was upside down in the vehicle following the crash.

“There was a lot of jarring. She was upside down in the car. She said she unbuckled her seat belt for the police to get her out of the car,” Freeland said.

Amelia is dealing with soreness and is wearing a neck brace as doctors evaluate her injuries. She is also having difficulty walking due to bruising in her hip and pelvic area, her mother says.

Meanwhile, family members say Theodore is doing better and may be able to go home soon.

“I’m really happy that all three of these kids are doing really well and God is answering our prayers,” Freeland said.

Three GoFundMe campaigns have been set up to support the families:

• Theodore & the Wertman Family: gofund.me/c39c8438e
• Oaklie & Family: gofund.me/5c55db4b0
• Amelia & Family: gofund.me/9ad187941