BOONE COUNTY — A Boone County teen is recovering after she "was said to be deceased" when she got to the hospital after a crash last week, her father told the sheriff's office.
Mateline Shelton, 17, of Advance, was taken to Ascension St. Vincent Hospital with internal injuries and a fractured collarbone on March 30 after a crash near State Roads 32 and 75, west of Lebanon and north of Advance.
Her father, JR Shelton, told the Boone County Sheriff's Office she was "said to be deceased on arrival at the hospital."
"He stated that if it were not for the hard-working staff at St. Vincent, he believes that Mateline would no longer be with us," Deputy Wesley Garst said in a press release.
Mateline's lungs had collapsed and filled with fluids and blood, Garst said. She underwent a lung bypass and had excess fluid and blood removed from her body.
JR told the sheriff's office she was on a ventilator until Monday and she is now breathing on her own. She is alert and knows what's going on around her, but she cannot speak.
"Mr. Shelton would like all the public safety personnel, who were on-scene the night of the accident, to know how appreciative he is," Garst said. "He truly believes they helped save his daughter's life. We here at the BCSO, along with Mr. Shelton, believe this to being nothing short of a miracle. With that being said, we ask that you continue to hold Mateline and her family up in your prayers as they continue to press on to a full recovery."
Mateline is a sophomore at Western Boone County High School.
