Seneca County deputies: 9-year-old dies after car slides down embarkment

COVERT, N.Y. — A 9-year-old girl has died after a crash in Seneca County in the Town of Covert on Friday. The crash also injured the 45-year-old driver from Ithaca and two 12-year-old passengers.

The Seneca County Sheriff’s Office says the car was traveling northbound on State Route 89, near Frontenac Road, when it went off the road and struck multiple trees around 5:30 p.m. The car slid down an embankment and landed in a small body of water.

Deputies say that 9-year-old Ellamae McLaughlin was taken in an ambulance to Cayuga Medical Center, where she later died. The driver was taken to Upstate Medical Center to treat a severe hand injury and the two teenage passengers were taken to Strong Hospital for minor injuries.

Deputies say that rescuing the injured passengers was “extremely challenging” because they had to use a rope to get down into the embarkment. In addition to the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office, the Trumansburg Fire Department, Interlaken Fire Department, Ithaca Fire Department, and Ovid Fire Department responded to the crash.

Deputies are still investigating the crash and anyone with information is asked to call at (315) 220-3449.