A Utah vlogger tragically passed away just one week after sustaining severe burns in a 10-car pileup while traveling to a friend’s wedding in Mexico.
Elise Caffee, 45, known for her relatable family content, died days after she and her husband, Dan Caffee, were involved in a scorching car wreck which saw a ‘truck full of hot asphalt’ hit them, flip their car and trap the mom-of-three underneath.
The pair were reportedly headed to a Cancun wedding venue to celebrate a close friend’s nuptials when the devastating accident occurred.
‘Elise and Dan arrived in Mexico for a wedding on March 6th and on the way to their hotel they were involved in a 10+ car pileup on a freeway in Cancun,’ a post on Instagram, shared by Elise’s loved ones reads.
‘A truck full of hot asphalt hit them, flipping their car, trapping Elise underneath, and dumping steaming hot asphalt on top of her as well as the people in front of the other cars,’ the post continued.
The harrowing incident ‘miraculously’ happened ‘right in front of a hospital’ as the travel influencer, who ran the travel blog ‘3 Kids Travel’, was immediately tended to.
‘Hospital workers rushed out and immediately started trying to help get people out from under cars as did Dan, but were getting burned through their protective gloves because the asphalt was so hot.’
Her family continued to provide updates on her recovery, creating a new Instagram account, ‘EliseCaffeeUpdates,’ aimed to keep her nearly 47,000 followers in the loop as the Sandy-native was treated in Mexico.
Elise Caffee, 45, known for her relatable family content, died days after she and her husband, Dan Caffee, were involved in a scorching car wreck which saw a ‘truck full of hot asphalt’ hit them, flip their car and trap the mom-of-three underneath
‘Elise and Dan arrived in Mexico for a wedding on March 6th and on the way to their hotel they were involved in a 10+ car pileup on a freeway in Cancun,’ a post on Instagram, shared by Elise’s loved ones reads. Pictured: Scenes from the deadly March 6 accident in Cancun
In her time as a vlogger, Elise shared many unique and beautiful experiences traveling with her family.Pictured: Elise Caffee with her husband Dan and their three daughters
‘Elise is currently stable and is intubated and sedated with a neck catheter to help her get fluids and medicine,’ the family wrote on Instagram the day following the accident.
The post also confirmed that medical staff were ‘working to clean the asphalt from her burn wounds and help her get stable so that she can be transferred with a ICU medic plane to the University of Utah burn unit.’
The beloved mommy blogger was eventually transferred and flown to the University of Utah’s burn unit in Salt Lake City for further treatment.
Two days before her death, the update page explained that the mom was recovering from surgery to remove damaged tissue, but remained in critical condition.
‘She’s fighting for her life right now. She continues to need your prayers,’ the post’s caption read.
In one of the final posts before announcing her death, the family posted that they had a ‘calmer day’ than the previous.
‘…a truck full of hot asphalt hit them, flipping their car, trapping Elise underneath, and dumping steaming hot asphalt on top of her as well as the people in front of the other cars,’ the post continued
Elise’s family continued to provide updates on her recovery for her followers, creating a new Instagram account, ‘EliseCaffeeUpdates ,’ aimed to keep her nearly 47,000 followers in the loop. Pictured: Elise Caffee (left) with her husband Dan and their three daughters
Her daughters were able to see their mom in the hospital room and braid her hair, while Dan serenaded his wife with his guitar.
Much of her family continued to gather in the Utah medical center to support their injured loved one, however, on Wednesday, around 11pm, the distraught family provided an agonizing update.
‘We are absolutely heartbroken to share the news of Elise’s passing tonight,’ they shared in a post. ‘She held on so long and fought so hard against an impossibly difficult set of circumstances.
‘Absolutely everything that could have been done for her was done and we are so grateful she was able to make it back home to say goodbye to her family before leaving us.’
The driver tasked with escorting the couple to the lavish Mexican retreat was unable to be rescued in the accident and was pronounced dead at the scene.
‘Our driver was killed and Elise was severely burned [and] I was uninjured,’ Dan wrote on Instagram.
The driver, who was only referred to as Luis, leaves behind his wife, Alejandra, as well as his twin daughters, 15, and son, 12, without their family’s main provider.
The Caffee family has since organized a GoFundMe fundraiser asking for donations for their ‘friends in Mexico’ who have been impacted by the horrible accident.
She believed ‘you can take your kids everywhere,’ encouraging her followers not to wait for specific circumstances to travel, especially with their kids
Her daughters (pictured with parents, Elise and Dan) were able to see their mom in the hospital room and braid her hair, while Dan serenaded his wife with his guitar
Much of her family gathered in the Utah medical center to support their injured loved one, however, on Wednesday, around 11 pm, the distraught family provided an agonizing update – Elise had died
‘We are asking you to take the love and generosity that you feel towards our family during this time of crisis, and direct it to helping our friends in Mexico who have also been impacted by this horrible accident,’ the fundraising page reads.
‘We hope to help them cover Luis’ funeral costs, potential legal fees, and provide for their needs their family will have during this difficult time and in the days ahead.’
The donation campaign raised a total of $64,692 as of Thursday morning.
In her time as a vlogger, Elise shared many unique and beautiful experiences traveling with her family.
She believed ‘you can take your kids everywhere,’ encouraging her followers not to wait for specific circumstances to travel, especially with their kids.
