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SPANISH FORK — Body-cam footage released of the rescue of infant Lily Groesbeck in a Spanish Fork crash, and the ER doctor who cared for baby Lily recounted his experience for the first time.
The footage shows one officer, among the first responders, running to the water, then calling back 90 seconds later to report that he could see someone trapped inside. Officers began attempting to flip the car over before realizing the living occupant was a baby, at which point their urgency increased.
They were able to lift the infant out of the vehicle, noting that she was hypothermic as one officer began to pat her on the back in an attempt to warm her up.
One officer and an EMT carried Lily up the embankment at which the crash had taken place, and began immediately giving her CPR. At that point, none of the responders were able to feel a pulse. She was then transferred to an ambulance and rushed to Mountain View Hospital in Payson.
As the ambulance arrived at the hospital, about six minutes after Lily was pulled from the car, signs of life appeared as she began to vomit. The officer rushed her into the emergency room, informing those present that CPR had been done and she had begun to exhibit encouraging signs.
Doctors and nurses were able to stabilize Lily, and she was later flown to Primary Children's Hospital for further treatment.
Spanish Fork police officers Jared Warner, Bryan Dewitt, Jason Harwood, and Tyler Beddoes, plus firefighters Paul Taultomadakis and Lee Mecham, were those on the scene. All three officers later recalled hearing a "distinct voice" that spurred their rescue attempt.
Following Lily's transportation to the hospital, she was treated by emergency room doctor Brock Royall, who spoke exclusively with KSL Friday night and revealed further remarkable details. He first complimented the rescuers, noting their attention to detail.
"I don't know how they knew someone was in there," Royall said.
Baby rescued from river after crash released from hospital
A Utah toddler rescued from a car 14 hours after it crashed into a frigid river was released from a hospital Wednesday, days after the accident that killed her mother.As he went into further detail, it became clear just how miraculous Lily's ensuing recovery was. Royall saw her in an extremely frail state, something also evident through the footage itself.
"You can see just how pale she is and how cold and stiff her arm is," he said. "We knew that she was very cold, and we needed to get her body temperature back up so her circulatory system could function normally."
Royall said the first positive sign was Lily opening her eyes, but that even at that point they needed to continue with CPR because her heart was not pumping blood on its own. More than anything, he stressed just how touch-and-go her situation was and how lucky she was to have been rescued when she was.
"If anything had been different...she might not have made it."
Lily was released from the hospital earlier in the week after making an encouraging recover. Her mother, Lynn Jennifer "Jenny" Groesbeck, 25, was killed in the crash.
