The owner of “My Just Desserts” in downtown Alton, Yvonne Campbell was on vacation with her twin sister Evelyn Campbell, her daughter, nieces, and their friends. They were on vacation to celebrate Yvonne’s daughter’s birthday when on their way back to their hotel, their tour bus collided head-on with a truck.
The crash injured the entire family and friends.
“The sweetest people I’ve ever met in my life, they just try to uplift,” said Sarah Tat, a friend of the victim’s daughter. “I just couldn’t believe it, it’s heartbreaking.”
Yvonne sustained multiple injuries including bleeding from the brain. She was at a hospital in Jamaica for three days, and she was not able to be flown back to the U.S. in time. Yvonne was fighting for her life until she passed away Tuesday night.
Her twin sister, Evelyn, is still in Jamaica.
“She needed a craniotomy or bur hole to relieve the pressure, but none of that was done, said Evelyn. “So she just laid there, waiting there finally to approve an air vac to get her to St. Louis, but that never happened. She didn’t make it. “She was my best friend, my DNA, we shared the womb together, and no one was closer to me than her.”
Yvonne was not only loved by her friends but customers that became like family.
“…It was like, ‘Hey, how are you doing, what can I get you today,’ it was just more of a humble environment where they weren’t here for business rather than they were here to meet everyone,”
said customer Katelyn Attebery.
Many Alton residents brought gifts to pay tribute.
“Just wonderful joy and generosity,” said neighbor of 10 years, Penny Schmidt. “She would come up behind you with a big hug, just tremendously sweet and the most wonderful baker. We were so proud to have her as a neighbor and continuing “My Just Desserts,” she’s irreplaceable.”
Currently, the family is waiting for her body to be flown home.
“It just breaks my heart that we could not save her when I know she could have been saved,” said Evelyn.
The two friends on the trip were scheduled to be flown in Wednesday for surgery.
If you would like to help the Campbells, FOX 2 provides the link to the GoFundMe originally set up by her oldest daughter for medical expenses.
The page has already raised more than $75,000 since it was created.
You can find a link here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/yvonne-campbells-medical-expenses?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1
The restaurant will remain closed until further notice.
