DPS: Newborn of mother injured in crash dies after emergency c-section

PHOENIX - Authorities say a woman who was eight months pregnant was found trapped in the driver's seat of a van that had crashed. The Phoenix fire department said the collision happened at about 1:30 p.m. Sunday on Interstate 17, just south of Camelback Road.

"When firefighters arrived, they found three children that had been removed from a van by bystanders with the children's mother, a 30 year old woman who is 8 months pregnant, trapped in the drivers seat of the vehicle," said Phoenix Fire Department Captain Jake Van Hook.

It took crews 15 minutes to extricate the pregnant woman, who was then taken to the hospital for an emergency cesarean birth.

The woman remains in critical condition with multiple injuries, including broken legs and an arm. Authorities say the newborn baby died shortly after being delivered.

The woman's three children were rescued from the van also suffered injuries. The girls, aged 14 and 6, and a 5-year-old boy are in stable condition at a children's hospital trauma center.

The cause of the crash is under a criminal investigation.

No names have been released in this case.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.