A three-year-old child was injured in a dirt bike crash.

The collision happened around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sep. 5, in the 500 block of Snyder Street in the Village of Marcellus after the 49-year-old man operating the bike said the throttle cable broke, causing him to lose control.

The bike was unable to slow or stop and heading for a tree. The man thought it would be safer to lay the bike down than hit the tree. While doing so, he grabbed the 3-year-old and tried to absorb most of the impact himself, to protect the child, according to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

Family members took the child to Three Rivers Hospital. The child  was later airlifted to Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo for treatment.

Alcohol was not a factor in this crash. Helmets were worn. This case remains under investigation.