◆ Shelley mother wants to find the person who helped save her son’s life.

A UTV accident at Palisades Reservoir in late July led to multiple injuries for the children of a Shelley, Idaho family.

Jayme Peters, family spokesperson and mother of the injured children said camping on the Palisades beaches turned tragic, when three of the children were riding in a UTV that flipped over when hitting a rut and rock at the same time.

Two daughters, ages 15 and 17 and a 12-year-old son, Lucas were in the vehicle.

One daughter suffered a fractured rib and another bruised, but Lucas sustained serious injuries.

“My son hung on inside, but his leg was outside and he was extremely hurt,” Jayme explained.

Ultimately Lucas was thrown from the UTV, that was left upside down on the beach.

“He had extensive injuries to his ankle, broke his femur, had five breaks to his pelvis, fractured arm and hand on the left side and an [arm] dislocation on the other side.”

The children were far the home camp when the accident happened, but a stranger saw event and rushed to help. “A stranger came to the scene and performed immediate first aid to my son,” Jayme said.

That’s what the family found when they arrived at the scene. “When I got there the man was doing first aid for my son’s ankle,” she said. “Had he not done that in the first 15 minutes, the doctors informed us, my son would have bled out and he would not have been alive by the time I got there.”

First responders arrived later and Lucas was airlifted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for surgery and a week’s stay in the hospital’s trauma center. He has since been released for continued recovery from home, but the family wants to find the stranger that helped them on that July day at Palisades.

“This man, I have been trying to find him in order to thank him as well as meet him because he is not only a hero, but an angel,” Jayme said with emotion. “The basic first aid that he applied to my son’s foot has also saved the tissue and the skin from either being grafted or brought in from his back or even from a donor and they say he could have possibly lost that foot.”

Continued treatment for Lucas has included two surgeries for the injured foot.

Another surgery is scheduled in six months to remove a rod placed in the boy’s femur, allowing for proper growth of the leg.

“He has just been incredible and amazing,” his mother said of Lucas. Considering what he has gone through, he has a great spirit. Everyone has worked together as a team. He is a really great boy.”

As for the stranger. “I want to thank him,” Jayme said. “They told us over and over again, had he not acted they way he did or even paid attention to those kids, my son would have bled out in those first 10 minutes. Those first few minutes are so critical. The first hour is so critical. And because of where we were remotely it took over 45-minutes for the emergency first responders to get to him. “

Jayme continued, “For over 45-minutes on that beach that man held him tight enough so he wouldn’t bleed and used basic first aid on that wound on his foot, covered him with blankets so wouldn’t go into shock, kept everyone calm on the scene and kept the girls calm, as well.”

She concluded, “It was the selflessness of a stranger. He took care of other’s children. I just want him to know how grateful I am as a mother and thank him and let him know that because of what he did my son is alive because of what he did.
“This is really important to me because I could have lost my son that night.”

Editor’s note: If you information related to this accident and can assist the family in connecting with the person who helped them at Palisades in July, please contact Duke Dance or Dan Dockstader at SVI Media, 307-887-5727.