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EAGLE MOUNTAIN — Rachel Hughes, who was 27 weeks pregnant at the time, was driving home Thursday morning when she passed out at the wheel and crashed into a residential home's stone wall, going about 35 mph.
She was flown via medical helicopter to University Hospital in Salt Lake City where she was treated for her injuries, according to a written statement from Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon.
Hughes, who says she thankfully doesn't remember the crash, shocked surgeons when they discovered she only suffered deep bruising in her pelvis, hips, abdomen and right foot, and no broken bones.
She shared her experience on Facebook and announced her son, Beckham, was born Thursday weighing 2 pounds and 12 ounces.
Hughes, 24, delivered Beckham via emergency cesarean section and said the "little fighter" is in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
"I truly believe it is a blessing I don’t have any memory of the actual crash or impact, so I don’t have to mentally relive the trauma my physical body went through," she wrote on Facebook.
The jarring car crash was caught on video by the homeowner's security footage and shows Hughes' SUV suddenly driving into the wall near Inverness Road and Mt. Airy Drive.
This security video shows the woman crashing into the rock wall. She enters the screen from the top left. She appeared to be traveling approximately 35 MPH. pic.twitter.com/WY9ZPdvZ0Y
— Spencer Cannon (@SGTCannonPIO) June 13, 2019
Hughes' cousin set up a GoFundMe account* for the new parents, and it's raised more than $4,500 of its $25K goal since it was created Friday.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.