Rescuers plunge into a frigid Utah river and struggle to open the doors of a car that is partially submerged, in hopes of pulling survivors from the wreckage of the vehicle.
This is the scene that unfolds from the vantage point of an officer's body camera as he rushes toward the Spanish Fork River in Utah Saturday where a car crashed, landing up-side-down.
And there was a survivor. Lily Groesbeck, 18 months old, was found alive in the car, nearly 14 hours after the vehicle plunged into the river. Her mother, 25-year-old Lynn Jennifer Groesbeck, did not survive the crash.
First responders can be seen in the video straining to lift the Dodge on its side. They quickly pass Lily from one person to the next until she reaches the safety of a waiting ambulance. The child was released from the hospital Wednesday.
Spanish Fork police believe the car struck a cement barrier near a bridge at around 10:30 p.m. Friday and ended up in the river, where it remained upside down until a fisherman spotted the wreck at around 12:20 p.m. Saturday and called 911.
Police officers and firefighters said an adult voice led them to believe someone was alive in that car. "I remember hearing a voice that didn't sound like a child just say, 'Help me,'" one of the rescuers, Officer Jared Warner, told NBC affiliate KSL. "To me, it was plain as day." Police have said they believe the child’s mother died on impact.
Three police officers and four firefighters were treated for hypothermia after the rescue. The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.
IN-DEPTH
- Lily Groesbeck Rescue: Utah Cops Recall Pulling Toddler From Overturned Car in River
- Lily Groesbeck, Baby Who Survived Deadly Utah Crash, Is Improving
- Baby Found Alive, Mother Dead 13 Hours After Utah Car Crash
— Elisha Fieldstadt
