Unrestrained 5-year-old ejected as Escalade crashes into Yuma pool

A 25-year-old woman and a 5-year-old child were seriously injured after a Cadillac Escalade veered off S. 31st Drive and ended up in a residential backyard swimming pool in the area of W. 14th Street in Yuma early Friday morning. Officers found the driver unconscious at the scene and determined the child had been ejected from the vehicle because they were not properly restrained.

"YPD says a 25-year-old woman was driving a Cadillac Escalade traveling north on S. 31st Drive when the car veered off the road, crashing into a wall, then into a swimming pool," the Yuma Police Department told local media. Investigators say the vehicle crossed an open field, struck a back wall and came to rest in a pool at a residence near 30th Avenue and 14th Street. A homeowner discovered the vehicle in the pool and alerted authorities.

Both patients were initially taken to Onvida Health with serious injuries. The child was later airlifted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital and was reported to be in stable condition after the transfer. No names, charges or toxicology results have been released. "YPD says alcohol and speed appear to be factors," authorities said, and police "believe the woman may have been speeding and impaired" when the Escalade left the roadway.

The crash spotlights persistent public health and safety issues for Yuma County: motor-vehicle trauma, impaired driving, and child passenger safety. Children who are not secured in age- and size-appropriate restraints face dramatically higher risks of ejection and serious injury in crashes. Local first responders and hospitals must also manage the resource demands created by late-night severe crashes, including the need to airlift pediatric patients to specialized care in Phoenix.

For communities along W. 14th Street and nearby neighborhoods, the incident underscores both personal and structural prevention opportunities. Enforcement of impaired-driving laws and speed control, public education about car seat compliance, and programs to improve access to safe restraints could reduce similar tragedies. Faith-based groups, schools and local clinics often partner with public health programs to distribute car seats and provide installation checks; those outreach channels may be particularly important for families facing economic or transportation barriers.

Yuma Police are asking anyone with information to come forward. The department encourages calls to (928) 783-4421 or to 78-Crime at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous. As investigators piece together a timeline and await any toxicology results, neighbors and parents in the area should review car seat rules and local resources for child passenger safety while the community copes with the consequences of a crash that could have been far worse.