This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Springville woman who died after crashing her car into the Spanish Fork River in March had a mixture of prescription drugs and marijuana in her system before her death, according to a new police report.
While Jennifer Groesbeck, 25, died in the March 6 crash, her then 18-month-old baby girl survived after police pulled her from the partially submerged vehicle 12 hours after the crash.
In a follow-up police report dated Wednesday, a Spanish Fork police officer wrote that toxicology results indicate that Groesbeck had a number of drugs in her system, including marijuana; clonazepam (Klonopin), for treating anxiety; morphine; codeine; and hydromorphone, a pain medication.
A medical examiner determined the 25-year-old woman died from blunt force injuries to her head, but noted a "significant condition" of "mixed drug intoxication."
After the crash, police officers interviewed Groesbeck's father, who told them that his daughter had been driving from his home in Salem to her Springville home that night, according to a police report.
"[The father] told me that Jennifer had taken some Klonopin and he didn't feel like she should be driving," an officer wrote. "He told me that he told Jennifer he wanted to drive her home, but she refused."
Police believe that Groesbeck was heading north on Main Street and was approaching the Arrowhead Trail at about 10:30 p.m. when she left the roadway and struck a retaining wall. Her car overturned and ended up in river on the north embankment, according to police reports.
A fisherman spotted the car the next day and called police. Police found Groesbeck deceased, but toddler Lily Groesbeck was dangling upside down from her car seat in the crashed vehicle. The girl was taken to a local hospital and made a rapid recovery.
"It's a miracle. The doctors say it's a miracle," the child's father, Devin Trafny, said at the time. "I'm blessed. I'm counting all my blessings."
Trafney was engaged to Jennifer Groesbeck, who he described as the "love of my life."
After the crash, police found marijuana, an unused syringe and an unmarked pill bottle with three different pills inside in Jennifer Groesbeck's purse, according to police reports.
Twitter: @jm_mille