This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A South Jordan mother on vacation with her family in Hawaii is on life support after a moped accident — but the family is optimistic she will pull through.
Shelli Eldredge, 40, was riding in the rear of a moped caravan Tuesday afternoon on a rural road at Oahu's He'eia State Park with her husband and two teenage sons when something went wrong.
"I noticed in my rearview mirror that she was missing," said her husband, Stephen Eldredge. Her family went back to find her. "Much to our horror, she was lying down in a culvert wrapped around a telephone pole."
In addition to countless bruises all over her body, she shattered her pelvis, both femurs in multiple places, broke her spine in four places and had eight fractures in her skull and facial bones. She was not wearing a helmet.
"She experienced a total body blunt trauma that anyone could possibly endure and still live," Stephen Eldredge said.
By the time she was taken to the hospital, her heart had stopped beating. She was resuscitated and stabilized after receiving 11 units of blood and being placed on complete mechanical and chemical support.
She subsequently underwent five surgeries and was listed in critical condition on Saturday at Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu.
On Saturday afternoon, Shelli Eldredge's husband said the outlook has improved and they are optimistic after her heart began to beat unassisted for the first time on Saturday morning.
"Two days ago, the general opinion was that she was going to die. Today, it is that she is going to live," Eldredge said. "And that is not just from a faith perspective, but also a scientific perspective."
In addition to her devastating injuries, Shelli Eldredge also suffered a miscarriage. She was 2½ months pregnant.
Her husband said they weren't planning on having a child, but she had always wanted a little girl and was optimistic for one.
"It had become the entire focus of her life. She was so excited," Stephen Eldredge said.
Family friend Rochelle Owens said Shelli Eldredge, who is a real estate agent, had just recently remarried and the family was enjoying a trip for her son's birthday.
"She is just one of those warm, kind souls that everyone wants to love," Owens said.
Stephen Eldredge said the family believes Shelli was a victim of a hit-and-run, based on the large bruises to her backside and tire patterns.
"We know that she did not spontaneously lose control of the moped," Stephen Eldredge said."I can't put my mind around how someone could be so cold-hearted to think they could leave her there."
Original police reports called the accident "single operator negligence," Stephen Eldredge said. But since that time, he said, police have updated the cause to "unknown."
Honolulu police could not immediately comment on the crash but did say it is being investigated.
No witnesses to the accident have come forward, despite coverage of the accident by Hawaii news organizations.
But, Stephen Eldredge said, strangers in Hawaii have shown kindness to his family since the accident. "It is amazing the kindness and the compassion that this state portrays," he said. "We have been so incredibly blessed."
He said, for example, a cab driver gave them a ride for free, saying he had heard of the accident on the news, and restaurants have refused to accept payment when they recognize the family.
On the Web
O Follow Shelli's progress online. > shelliandherboys.blogspot.com