Woman hit by car improving

April 03--ALTON -- The condition of an Alton woman seriously injured after being struck by a vehicle, allegedly driven by a woman she was quarrelling with, appears to be improving.

The mother of Catelyn Scoggins, Melinda Blackwell-Gibson, posted on Facebook Tuesday her daughter was alert and talking. On Thursday morning, Scoggins herself appeared to be posting to the social media site. She does, however, remain hospitalized in St. Louis</location>.

Scoggins suffered injuries that authorities called "life threatening" that included multiple broken bones and possible bleeding in her brain Monday evening.

Police say she was struck by a vehicle driven by Ashley N. Ellison, 20, of the 1000 block of Willard Avenue in Alton. She is charged with attempted 1st degree murder; failure to report an accident involving personal injury; aggravated battery (with a deadly weapon); and aggravated battery (causing great bodily harm).

"She's going to pull through, but it's going to be a long road," Blackwell-Gibson told the Telegraph Thursday night.

According to Blackwell-Gibson, Scoggins is in a full neck and back brace. Doctors are concerned about swelling around her spine, and she could suffer permanent paralysis with any wrong movements.

There were multiple witnesses to the incident. A man who lives near where the incident occurred in the 2700 block of Sanford Avenue told the Telegraph he had called police just before the alleged violence to report 15 to 20 people who were arguing loudly in the street. That crowd included Scoggins and Ellison.

Sources who asked not to be named told the Telegraph Ellison appeared to be leaving the scuffle in a vehicle, but the vehicle allegedly involved in the incident performed a U-turn in the street, struck Scoggins and grazed another man as the two were walking away, backs turned.

Alton police could not confirm that information.

Scoggins, the mother of three young children, had experienced a tragic and turbulent time leading up to Monday's incident.

On March 16, Catelyn Scoggins' husband, Kenny Scoggins, was killed in a vehicle-involved incident in Wood River, with Catelyn also in the car.

According to Wood River Deputy Police Chief Dan Bunt, the incident occurred after an argument between Kenny Scoggins and individuals he was riding with from St. Louis. He said surveillance video from a gas station in St. Louis indicated a brewing altercation between the travelers.

Not long after, on Route 143 in Wood River, Bunt said Kenny Scoggins, who was in the back seat of the vehicle, reached out an open window, grabbed the car door handle to open the door and jumped from the moving vehicle.

He died as a result of injuries he suffered in the fall.

"She's been through a lot of tragedy, it's really been tough for her and her children," Blackwell-Gibson said. "Not many people could go through what Catelyn has, but she's come up every time and fought."

Just days before Catelyn Scoggins was injured, she set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money to keep the family afloat in the wake of her husband's death.

"He was our sole provider and I was a stay at home mom," Catelyn Scoggins wrote on the site. "With both of us only being 24-years-old we had no idea that anything like this would ever happen so we didn't have any insurance of any type. I've never been the type of person to ask for any type of assistance but I know that my children are going to be in need of things very soon and with the time it takes to find a job I'm scared they might go without."

The donations to the family can be made at http://www.gofundme.com/qaajtk.

In the meantime, Blackwell-Gibson, a widow, has taken in the children, ages 1, 2 and 4.

"They're having a hard time with the loss of their father -- and now this," she said. "Especially the oldest one. He can't understand where is daddy is."

Blackwell-Gibson thanked the community for the outpouring of support they've received since Monday, but the family still has a long, rough road ahead.

"It's really touched our heart," she said. "God bless everyone who has helped us."

Linda Weller and Nathan Grimm contributed to this report.

Editor Nathan Woodside can be contacted at 618-208-6456 or on Twitter @NWatTelegraph.

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