Kelli Moberg suffered a mild concussion, had five facial fractures and broke bones in her right leg after being hit, head-on, by an alleged drunk driver.
Reporting Reg Chapman
ST. PAUL (WCCO) — As Minnesotans head into the season for holiday get-togethers, the survivor of a head-on wreck is asking drivers to think twice.
An SUV crossed into Kelli Moberg’s lane as she drove home from work two weeks ago. From her hospital bed, she told WCCO’s Reg Chapman that this isn’t the first time a suspected drunken driver has come crashing into her life.
“I was just driving home and I saw a light in the distance,” said Moberg.
Moberg said she did not know what was heading straight for her until it was too late.
“When I was about three to five feet away I realized it was a headlight of a car because there was only one headlight there. So I realized it was a car coming straight at me,” she said.
It was early Sunday morning, Nov.14 on Highway 13 in Eagan when Moberg was hit.
“It was a head-on crash and his blood alcohol level, I believe, was 0.14,” she said. “I feel incredibly fortunate to be alive and not have a brain injury and to be paralyzed. I’m just counting my blessings. It’s truly a miracle.”
Eleven staples and way too many stitches to count later, Moberg is on the mend. She has a mild concussion, five facial fractures and both bones in her right leg are broken.
“I lost a friend to a drunk driver in high school and just knowing that drunk driving is so preventable,” said Moberg.
More importantly she has a message about the importance of finding another way home after you’ve had something to drink.
“Certainly go out and have a good time but there are so many other options of getting home safely for themselves and other innocent victims on the freeway. Just to be safe and make smart decisions,” said Moberg.
The outpouring of support she has gotten has been incredible. Her CaringBridge page is loaded with well-wishes and her hospital room is filled with flowers from both family and complete strangers.
Now that she knows she will recover, her wish is that people think before they drink and get behind the wheel.
Police say the driver who’s charged with hurting Moberg told them he hadn’t had much to drink. They say Victor Meda-Camey also doesn’t have a driver’s license. He could face prison time now.
Moberg is a runner and a hiker. She said she may not be able to put pressure on her legs for three months. Once she’s up and moving again, Moberg hopes to speak to young people about the dangers of drinking and driving.
5 Comments
The drunk driver that hit her got ____ months in jail, and lost his license for ____ months, and had to go to _____ AA meetings. Why an SUV? If the drunk driver was driving a Volvo would it have made a difference? Was the drunk driver at a bar? and if so which one? You missed a few things on this one, poor form WCCO D- on this story.
November 24, 2010 at 4:29 am | | Report comment
” They say Victor Meda-Camey also doesn’t have a driver’s license. He could face prison time now.” Did you read that line?? It hasn’t been decided yet. They don’t give sentences overnight. Sentencing is a process. This just happened recently. And it does matter if it’s an SUV or not. Getting in a head on collision with a SMART car, a motorcycle, or a semi-truck is comparably different than a car, truck, or SUV. They’re not going to call an SUV a motorcycle or a motorcycle a car. It’s an SUV! And who cares if he was at a bar or not and which one. How is that relevant to this story? The point is that he was drunk and the moral of the story is that this is what drinking and driving can lead to.
November 24, 2010 at 6:01 am | | Report comment
@Shane G, All of my questions are true to the story. If he was at a bar, why did they continue to serve him? Has this bar done that before? Does he have a record of DWI’s? Whats wrong with our legal system? Prison time? What is the sentence that he could face? The moral of the story is we have a victim, that we know what happened to her, but the drunk driver we know nothing about.
November 24, 2010 at 6:39 am | | Report comment
unfortunately, it seems that the drunk driver never gets hurt but the other innocent victim is the one that pays dearly for the drunk driver’s mistake.. Many times there’s a death. Kelli is very lucky to be with us. This will be something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. You are a very strong person, Kelli. We love you. Hugs
November 24, 2010 at 11:48 am | | Report comment
Thank God Kelli is ok. Let’s just all pray that good comes of this terrible tragedy.
December 20, 2010 at 1:03 am | | Report comment