A 3-year-old girl was killed Tuesday morning after the car her mother was driving crashed into an embankment on Route 209.

Investigators say Sierra Gore wasn't properly buckled in her car seat when the Toyota Camry she was riding in crossed into the wrong lane and crashed into a dirt embankment between Route 211 and Port Orange Road in Deerpark shortly after 6 a.m.

According to Brian Shortall, of the New York State Police, had the child been in her car seat, she would have stood a better chance of surviving the accident.

Rescuers had to use the Jaws of Life to free the mother, 40-year-old Kim Gore, from the crushed front end of the vehicle. She was taken to the hospital with serious head and leg injuries.

Witnesses told police Gore was seen driving erratically before the crash, and there were no skid marks on the road to indicate that she tried to stop the car. Investigators will conduct tests to determine if Gore had drugs or alcohol in her system.