According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, a one-vehicle accident at 1:35 a.m. Friday on FM 1849, 2.5 miles east of Bangs, claimed the life of an 8-year-old girl who attended Brownwood ISD.

The DPS report states a 2008 Hyundai Accent passenger car was traveling north on FM 1849. The investigator learned from speaking with the 9-year-old passenger that the driver’s 8-year-old daughter had unbuckled her seatbelt during the trip. The driver of the vehicle advised that a wild animal was in the roadway, which caused him to take evasive action by veering toward the right off the roadway. The vehicle was in a skid over a private driveway and rolling over. The 8-year-old passenger was ejected when the car overturned.

The driver, identified as 39-year-old Shawn Cleve Ales of Brownwood, and his 9-year-old daughter were transported to Hendrick Medical Center-Brownwood with minor injuries.

Brownwood ISD identified the girl who passed as Autumn Ales, a student at Coggin Elementary.