Utah baby: 18-month-old survives 14 hours trapped in car in freezing river next to dead mother

The child was hanging in her straps just above the freezing waters of the Spanish Fork River that were rushing through the car

Lynn Jennifer “Jenny” Groesbeck with her daughter, Lily (GoFundMe)

An 18-month-old girl was found alive strapped into her baby seat in her mother’s overturned car up to 14 hours after it crashed into a freezing river in Utah.

Lynn Groesbeck, 25, was killed in the accident and it was not discovered until a fisherman happened to come by, CNN reported.

The child was hanging in her straps just above the freezing waters of the Spanish Fork River that were rushing through the car.

A nearby resident reported hearing a loud noise at about 10.30pm on Friday but after checking could not find anything untoward. The fisherman discovered the wrecked car about 14 hours later on Saturday.

Spanish Fork Police Lieutenant Matt Johnson told CNN: “This is just a tragedy all the way around. There's not anything at the scene, as far as evidence goes, as why the vehicle left roadway.

Lynn Jennifer 'Jenny' Groesbeck (Facebook)

“There were no skid marks to show evasive manoeuvres, to show why the vehicle left the roadway and travelled into the river."

The baby was taken to a hospital in Salt Lake City where her condition was described as stable but critical, the Associated Press reported.

The water was so cold that three police officers and four firefighters involved in the rescue operation had to be treated for hypothermia in hospital.