Lily: Utah Baby Found Alive After Trapped In Car Submerged In River For 14 Hours Is Improving


Lily, the Utah baby found in a crash car submerged in the Spanish Fork River, is improving. The baby girl was not moving when rescuers got to her about 14 hours after her mother, Lynn Jennifer Groesbeck, crashed the car into the Utah river and died. Baby Lily had her eyes open when a fisherman found her, but she was barely alive, according to the first responders who cared for her after cutting her out of the car seat suspended above the water flooding the car.

The Utah baby was dangling just above the 40-degree water flowing in the Spanish Fork River. Firefighters and other first responders had to be treated for hypothermia after the swift water rescue of little Lily, who is 18-months old.

During an interview with CNN affiliate KUTV News, Utah police officer Jared Warner, “There’s probably nothing more gratifying than to know that,” in reference to news that baby Lily is showing signs of improvement during her treatment at a local hospital.

The wreck, which caused the death of Lynn Jennifer Groesbeck, 25, remains under investigation. Utah police officers have stated that neither alcohol or drugs were a factor in the fatal accident.

Baby Lily might have died alongside her mother had it not been for an angler who just happened to be out for a day of fishing on the chilly day. The man waded into the water to cast his line and then noticed the car submerged into the Spanish Fork River. “Where the car was, you couldn’t see it from the roadway,” Police Lieutenant Cory Slaymaker noted.

The evening prior to baby Lily’s rescue, a man living nearby heard a loud crash. When he went outside to check and see what had happened, he did not see anything unusual or out of place and simply dismissed the noise. Local police officer currently believe that Lynn Groesbeck hit the cement barrier on the Spanish Fork River bridge and launched her car, herself, and her baby into the cold waters below around 10:30 p.m.

The Utah first responders maneuvered the car onto its side and immediately saw Lynn Jennifer Groesbeck behind the wheel. It was reportedly readily apparent that baby Lily’s mother was already dead. “She was definitely unconscious and not responsive,” Officer Warner recalled when detailing the first glimpses they first responders had of Lily after hefting the car into a better rescue position.

The family of Lynn Groesbeck and baby Lily created a gofundme page for donations to help with the toddler’s care. As of early this morning, the fund had already surpassed the goal of $8,000. The mourning, yet grateful family has issued heartfelt thanks to the firefighters and police officers who risked their own lives to save Lily Groesbeck.

[Image via: Shutterstock.com]

Share this article: Lily: Utah Baby Found Alive After Trapped In Car Submerged In River For 14 Hours Is Improving
More from Inquisitr