A popular family and travel influencer died on Wednesday nearly a week after she suffered severe burns in a car accident in Mexico, her family announced.
Elise Caffee, who was known as “3kidstravel” to thousands of followers on social media, was traveling with her husband to a wedding on March 6 when their vehicle was struck by a truck full of hot asphalt in a fatal 10-car pileup on a freeway in Cancun.
The truck flipped the 45-year-old Utah mom of three’s car and trapped her underneath as “steaming hot asphalt” dumped on top of her, the family announced on Instagram with a disturbing photo of the wreckage.
She was treated in Mexico before being flown back to Salt Lake City in critical condition for additional treatment at a burn unit.
“We are absolutely heartbroken to share the news of Elise’s passing tonight. She held on so long and fought so hard against an impossibly difficult set of circumstances,” her family shared on a new Instagram account called, “elisecaffeeupdates,” Wednesday.
“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. We believe in eternal families and know we’ll see our beautiful mom, sister, wife, and daughter again,” the post, which included a family photo, continued.
“We’re so grateful for all the prayers and love that have buoyed us up in the last few days and that we know will continue to in the days ahead.”
The driver of their vehicle also died in the crash, with Caffee’s husband, Dan, suffering minor injuries.
The family launched a GoFundMe and chronicled Caffee’s journey from the accident to her tragic death on Instagram.
She leaves behind her husband and three daughters.
The beloved mommy vlogger was known for sharing unique stories and her family’s travel adventures with her more than 45,000 followers.
She encouraged her followers to take every opportunity to travel, especially with their kids, believing “you can take your kids everywhere.”
Caffee’s family said they plan to share details about a celebration of life in the coming days.
Leave a Reply