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Woman injured after being thrown from car

BY BECKY MALKOVICH, The Southern

Wednesday, January 23, 2008 9:56 AM CST

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- A Franklin County woman was injured Tuesday when her seatbelt failed to keep her from being ejected from her vehicle during a one-car crash.

Raquel D. Tochtrop, 21, was airlifted to Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau for treatment of injuries after the wreck just east of Zeigler, Franklin County Sheriff Bill Wilson said.

Tochtrop was traveling eastbound on Illinois 149, coming out of a curve, when her car left the roadway, Wilson said. The car entered a field, struck an embankment and rolled before coming to a rest on its wheels. Tochtrop was ejected from the car and left partially trapped under the vehicle.

Emergency personnel from Zeigler raised the vehicle and freed Tochtrop. Preliminary reports indicated she suffered several broken bones, Wilson said.

Tochtrop was wearing her seatbelt, but impact from the crash apparently caused the apparatus to be pulled out of its mount, allowing her to be thrown from the vehicle, Wilson said.