WAUKENABO, Minnesota — A family of five is recovering after a mom and two daughters were hospitalized following a deadly car crash in Aitkin County on Oct. 4.
"I am not used to asking for help," Lisa Melberg said.
Melberg was driving her SUV packed with her three daughters, a niece and one of the daughter's boyfriends when another SUV ran a stop sign at Highway 169. In the second SUV, the 61-year-old driver sustained life-threatening injuries, according to State Patrol. Elizabeth Jane Baldwin, 61, of Minnetonka, and Marlo Dean Baldwin, 92, of Minnetonka, both died.
Two other vehicles were hit in the crash, but the people in those two cars were not injured.
"We feel that god played a hand in all of this somehow," Jeremy Melberg said.
Jeremy was waiting for his family at the cabin when he got an alert from the Life 360 app that a "crash had been detected." His daughters have the app on their phones for safety reasons. Jeremy says he knew about the crash before the police and drove there right away.
"By the time I got there, three had already been airlifted to HCMC," Jeremy said. "The car looked like it was hit by a train. It's not recognizable."
It's a four-hour car ride from Aitkin to Minneapolis, and the father of three spent it gripping the wheel and sweating in terror for his family.
Daughter Ally, her boyfriend, and cousin Daise were not seriously injured but daughter Carly (11) remains in critical condition as her mom and sister Haley (14) conditions have improved.
"Surgeries are behind us. Big milestone," Jeremy said.
The father and husband isn't used to being the caretaker. He's spent many days in hospital gowns as he's been battling colon cancer for the last 5 years. Now, he's finding himself taking off work to care for his girls.
"I could have been dead or my kids. Somehow everybody is here," Lisa said.
Her family is leaning on their faith in this hard time, as they firmly believe someone was watching over them on Friday.
Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the crash, but officials said Elizabeth Jane Baldwin, the 61-year-old in the Suburban, had not been wearing a seatbelt.
A fundraiser for the family has been established on GoFundMe.