Sometimes, it doesn't pay to take a short cut.

Amber Pangborn, of Oroville, Calif., wound up giving birth her daughter in her car after she got lost in the wilderness while trying to take a short cut to her parents' house when she went into labor.

I laid out a sleeping back in the backseat, lied down, gripped the handle above the back window and gave birth to my daughter."

So, how exactly did this happen? Pangborn elected to take some back roads to her parents' home, but instead wound up lost in Plumas County National Forest. Making matters worse was the fact she ran out of gas and couldn't get cell phone service.

After giving birth to her daughter, Marissa, Pangborn and her little girl remained stuck for three days, fending off mosquitoes and bees, with only a few apples and some water for sustenance.

Eventually, Pangborn started a fire to attract attention and officials soon found them.

"I was just crying, and I was just so happy," Pangborn, said. "I thought we were going to die."

Mother and daughter, both doing well, were taken to separate hospitals and are expected to be reunited soon.

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