How did baby survive 14 hours in car after crash in Utah river?

WHEN an 18-month-old became trapped in a car submerged in freezing waters for 14 hours, people expected the worst. Find out how the child survived.

How this baby survived 14 hours in freezing river

AN 18-month-old child is in a stable condition after spending almost 14 hours suspended in an overturned car, submerged in a freezing river.

The child became trapped after her mother, Lynn Jennifer Groesbeck, 25, had an accident that sent the car into the Spanish Fork River in Utah.

When emergency services attended the scene, the mother was dead and the toddler, Lily, was barely alive.

She was quickly raced to the hospital where she is now in stable condition.

Found wearing fleece pants and a sweatshirt, you be excused for calling this nothing short of a miracle.

However, a medical expert has given a very logical explanation of Lily’s survival.

Trauma director at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre in Nashville, Dr Oscar Guillamondegui, said Lily had a higher ability to withstand trauma from the crash because of her age.

He said because she was so young she had very little time to damage her organs by smoking, drinking or having a high-fat diet.

“Children are more resilient than adults,” he told ABC.

He said children didn’t have the confluence of conditions that adults had.

Lily Groesbeck, 18 months, has survived a 14 hours submerged in a river after a car crash. Her mother Lynn Groesbeck, 25, was found dead in the car.

Dr Guillamondegui said the cold conditions likely put Lily’s body into a state of suspended animation similar to hibernation.

He added that cooling the body down made it able to withstand trauma, including hypothermia.

“It’s a really cool process … we see it every once in a while,” he said.

The final component that contributed to Lily’s survival was the lack of bleeding for the toddler.

Dr Guillamondegui said if she was bleeding, the cold would have made it worse and could have had a potentially fatal outcome.

“Certain aspects of your blood don’t work well when it’s cold,” he said.

The Groesbeck family has set up an account to accept donations to help with Lily’s medical expenses and the funeral costs for her mother.