Colo. Woman Left Haunting Distress Messages After Crash
Kristin Hopkins wrote on a placard and umbrella as she waited days for help.
May 8, 2014— -- After her car careened off a winding mountain road near Fairplay, Colorado, Kristin Hopkins struggled to send distress messages.
"Call 911 - jaws of life," the single mother of four wrote on a placard.
She also scrawled messages on a red-and-white umbrella, hoping someone would spot it.
"Need Dr. hurt and bleeding," she wrote on one of the umbrella's panels. On another: "Thirsty and hungry 6 days no food or water."
As those days passed, Hopkins' parents, Glen and Connie Morgan, didn't know if their daughter was alive or dead.
"I know in my heart that she thought of her four kids," Connie Morgan said.
Andy Lombard and his wife were driving in the area when they spotted Hopkins' Chevy Malibu upside down in the tangled trees. They thought the person inside was dead.
"We just happened to look at the right place at the right time," Lombard said.
Hopkins, 44, faces a long recovery. She remains in critical condition. Doctors had to amputate both of her feet. Another surgery is scheduled for Friday.
Despite the obstacles, Hopkins' parents are hopeful she can beat the odds again.
"She is such a fighter," Glen Morgan said. "She will make it work."
Hopkins' relatives are raising money to help pay for her medical and recovery costs. Click here for more information about the Kristin Hopkins Donation Fund.
