Baby survives crash after 14 hours upside down in partially submerged car
Published 7:41 am Monday, March 9, 2015
SPANISH FORK, Utah — A fisherman who alerted authorities after spotting an overturned car partially submerged in the frigid Spanish Fork River south of Provo helped save the life of child who police say was likely suspended upside down in the vehicle for close to 14 hours.
After responding to the scene, authorities tipped the Dodge Caliber on its side. Inside they found 25-year-old Lynn Jennifer Groesbeck lifeless in the driver’s seat. Her 18-month-old daughter Lily, however, was still alive, her car seat restraints having kept her out of the rushing waters, public safety officials said in a statement.
The toddler is currently in critical condition at a Salt Lake City hospital.
The cause of the crash, which police say likely occurred just before 10:30 p.m. Friday, remains under investigation.
Groesbeck is believed to have been traveling to her home in Springville, Utah after visiting family just nine miles away.
“This is just a tragedy all the way around,” Spanish Fork Police Lt. Matt Johnson told reporters. “There’s not anything at the scene, as far as evidence goes, as to why the vehicle left roadway. There were no skid marks to show evasive maneuvers, to show why the vehicle left the roadway and traveled into the river.”