AUSTERLITZ – A three-year-old girl from the Copake-Hillsdale area was killed when she rode an ATV being operated by her eight-year-old brother. Her 10-year-old sister was also on the vehicle.

Columbia County Sheriff David Harrison, Jr. said at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, the kids and their father were house-sitting on Herrington Drive in the Town of Austerlitz.

The boy was operating an ATV that he apparently borrowed from the homeowner who was away.  His two sisters were on the vehicle.

The boy struck a tree. The three-year-old girl was ejected and pinned under the ATV which rolled over on top of her, police said. The father and a friend were nearby and called for emergency help. The older girl did not appear to be hurt.

The younger girl was transported to Columbia Memorial Hospital where she was later pronounced dead. The boy suffered facial injuries.

The accident remains investigation.