Two babies rescued from burning vehicle in crash; OVI suspected

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – Two infants were rescued from a burning vehicle after it crashed at the intersection of state Route 4 and Hawk Road in Goshen Township, Champaign County, on Friday night, March 13. According to the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, the crash happened at about 11:50 p.m. Its occupants were injured and the vehicle caught fire. Officials said the first deputy to arrive on scene saw two babies trapped inside the vehicle. The next deputy to arrive said the fire was coming from the front of the vehicle, which was behind a fence. They tried to open the back door, but couldn’t. One deputy reportedly broke the back window and went into the vehicle. He used a fire extinguisher to combat the flames and used rescue shears to cut one of the babies out of their car seat harness. A medic helped free the baby through the window. This was seconds before the fire spread and engulfed the passenger compartment. The baby boy was airlifted to a children's hospital. The baby girl was transported by medics to the same hospital. “After the rescue, deputies made contact with the driver, identified as Anthony Blankenship, who showed signs of alcohol consumption. The Ohio State Highway Patrol responded to the scene and took Blankenship into custody for Operating a Vehicle Impaired,” wrote officials. A dog that was in the vehicle could not be saved. Both deputies were injured and suffered minor smoke inhalation. One deputy suffered minor burns during the rescue. The crash is under active investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol. 2 NEWS is working to learn more.