'Absolutely devastating': Two young children die following Pleasant Prairie crash Friday night

PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A four-year-old boy and a nine-month-old girl are dead, after a crash on Friday night in Pleasant Prairie.

Police responded to a serious injury accident involving two vehicles at Springbrook Rd and Highway 31 at 8:26 p.m. on Nov. 18, 2022.

When officers arrived on scene, they extricated the two children from one of the vehicles and, along with Pleasant Prairie Fire and Rescue personnel, immediately administered life-saving measures.

The children and their parents were transported to Froedtert Pleasant Prairie Hospital and Aurora Medical Center Kenosha, but the former later succumbed to their injuries.

Krystle Woods, a Kenosha mother who came across the accident minutes after it happened, said the scene was "horrific".

"My heart goes out to the family of these two babies," Woods said. 

Woods said she and her fiancé had taken separate cars to his mother's house. Her one-year-old and nine-week-old were in his car.

When she came to the intersection, Woods said she initially believed the people involved in the accident were her family.

"I saw the baby girl and the police officer. The paramedic had her, and her coat was the same as my baby's coat," Woods said. "It was just absolutely devastating at that moment, regardless of if they were my children or not."

When she realized the two were, in fact, not hers, Woods said she began to pray. 

"It's not my baby but these are somebody's babies," Woods said. "It just breaks my heart."

Renee, a Pleasant Prairie mother who lives down the road from where the crash happened, said she and her husband were driving southbound down Green Bay Rd. when they came across the scene.

"I saw probably five or six police cars, state police, two ambulances, so we slowed down," Renee said. "I had looked over to the wooded area on the west side of the road and there was a car that was wedged between trees there."

Renee, who has lived in Pleasant Prairie for 25 years, said speeding and reckless driving in the area are "everyday occurrences".

"If you're coming from Illinois, it goes from two lanes to four lanes and as soon as people hit the state line, they're racing," Renee said. "I'm going 60 at the most and I'm getting passed constantly."

Her 15-year-old son is currently learning how to drive, and Renee said it doesn't feel safe.

"Just to pull out here onto Green Bay Rd. makes me nervous because if he doesn't get on the gas fast enough, he's got people coming up right behind him," Renee said. 

While it's ultimately up to whoever is behind the wheel to drive safely, both women said something needs to change before more people get hurt.

This could include lowering the speed limit, adding stop signs or stoplights and increasing police presence on the road, they said.

"Everybody's in a rush to go nowhere fast and now there are two babies where one won't see her first Christmas," Woods said. "A parent won't have those joys with her."

The names of the children are not being released at this time pending family notifications.

According to officials, the accident remains under investigation at this time.

Anyone with information about this accident is asked to contact the Pleasant Prairie Police Department at (262) 694-7353.