She was transported to Saint Francis Medical Center where doctors performed an emergency C-section, the news station reported.
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According to a GoFundMe started by Iler’s sister, Iler, who was 39 weeks pregnant at the time of the crash, was “extremely excited to become a mother for the first time”. The newborn was on a ventilator until Friday. According to the Southeast Missourian, a tanker truck barreled into their vehicle, causing both Sarah and Matt to be thrown.
Iler’s daughter, Maddyson, was born weighing four pounds and 15 ounces and was initially in critical condition.
Matt Rider, 34, was driving his wife Sarah Iler, 26, on the Interstate 55 in the direction of the hospital as she was about to give birth last week. He was flown to a St. Louis hospital with several broken bones.
Rider, who survived the accident, but broke every limb and multiple ribs, has not met his daughter as he is receiving care in another hospital.
Although Sarah was killed before EMTs arrived, they rushed to give her CPR in an attempt to save her unborn child.
Iler’s sister, Kasandra Iler, said Maddyson opened her eyes and grabbed a nurse’s finger.
‘I felt my sister gave her life to save this baby.
“She had her whole life ahead of her”, Iler’s mother, Patricia Knight, told the newspaper.
A baby girl named Maddyson is only days old, but she’s already experienced a great deal of hardship, reports the Daily Mail. “We’ve been calling her our little miracle”, she said.
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The family has set up a Gofundme.com account to help cover funeral expenses for Sarah and other expenses for the baby.
