Travel Influencer Dies Almost 1 Week After Suffering Severe Burns from Steaming Asphalt in Car Accident

Parenting travel expert Elise Caffee has died, almost one week after suffering severe burns in a car accident.

On Wednesday, March 12, her family announced the influencer — known as @3kidstravel on Instagram — died on an Instagram account dedicated to updates on Elise's condition.

"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," the post began, accompanying a photo of the influencer, her husband Dan and their three kids.

"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 good bye to her family before leaving us," the caption continued. "We believe in eternal families and know we’ll see our beautiful mom, sister, wife, and daughter again. 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."

Her death announcement concluded by noting that the Utah-based family would soon "share more details about a service/celebration of life for Elise."

The tragic incident occurred on March 6 as Elise and her husband Dan were involved in a 10-car pileup on the way to a wedding in Cancún.

Dan posted a photo of the wreckage on Facebook, which was also shared by Elise's sister, Kristina Buskirk, on her Instagram Stories. As Dan revealed in his update, the accident occurred shortly after the couple arrived in Mexico.

"Our driver was killed and Elise was severely burned [and] I was uninjured," he continued in the post. At the time, he added, "Elise is currently stabilized but in bad shape."

Since the fatal pileup, their family had used the Instagram account @elisecaffeeupdates to keep friends, family and followers in the loop as her loved ones hoped for her recovery. The page's initial post described the accident in detail. The caption noted that Elise's body was "badly burned," though her face was not.

"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 from March 6 recounts. "It happened right in front of a hospital which is a miracle. Hospital workers rushed out and immediately started trying to help get people out from under cars as did my Dan, but were getting burned through their protective gloves because the asphalt was so hot."

Though both Dan and the Instagram update account stated that Elise was stable at the time, the latter also shared that she was "intubated and sedated with a neck catheter to help her get fluids and medicine" after the accident.

Two days before her death, the family update page explained that the mom was recovering from surgery to remove damaged tissue and remained in critical condition. "She’s fighting for her life right now. She continues to need your prayers," the caption read.

In one of the final posts before announcing Elise's death, the family posted that they had a "calmer day" than the previous. Her daughters were able to see their mom in the hospital room and braid her hair, and Dan serenaded his wife with his guitar.