Update on Merrill teen and infant involved in crash

Initial reports following a July 26, 2026, two-car crash that left a 17-year-old Merrill teen critically injured suggested that while the teen was transported by medical helicopter for critical injuries, her infant son had escaped the crash unharmed.
Family members of the teen later came forward to correct those reports, indicating the now four-week-old baby boy had actually suffered a broken leg during the crash. The baby was transported to Aspirus Merrill Hospital and then flown to the hospital in Marshfield, as well.
While the infant was released as a patient from the hospital, he continues to stay with his 17-year-old mother at the facility. She will require numerous surgeries to repair injuries to her legs and pelvis.
Names of the two are not being published, since both are minors. The teen driver was cited for Operating Left of Center (Great Bodily Harm).