Three siblings killed in wrong-way crash with alleged drunk driver
Family claims wrong-way driver, who also died in crash, was intoxicated
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A Louisiana family lost their three children in a tragic accident on Friday after their car was hit by a wrong-way driver, the police have said.
The Simmons siblings who died in the accident on I-49 in St Landry Parish were identified as 20-year-old Lindy, 17-year-old Christopher, and Kamryn, 15.
According to the police statement, the driver—identified as 54-year-old John Lundy from Dallas—was also killed in the crash. He was driving his 2005 Chevrolet Colorado pickup northbound in the wrong lane.
Dawn Simmons, the siblings’ mother, and 16-year-old Marissa, Christopher Simmons’ girlfriend, remain hospitalised. The family was driving back from Christopher’s high school basketball game when the accident took place.
One of the nine Simmons siblings, Katie DeRouen, wrote on a fundraising page on Saturday: “we went from our ‘big family of 9 kids’ to 6 kids in the blink of an eye. I don’t know how we will ever move on or recover from this.”
She added: “The three babies of the family are gone. My dad lost his three youngest children and is with my mom in ICU. My mom is in the ICU without a clue as to what happened. The absolute hardest part of this entire experience, next to losing my siblings, is knowing that my mom will be informed of this whenever she awakens. Our lives are shattered.”
Police have said that the results of toxicology samples from both drivers are still pending. Ms DeRouen has accused Lundy of causing the accident.
The Louisiana state police said in a statement: “In one night, the lives of several families have changed forever due to preventable circumstances. Over and over again, troopers see the tragic consequences of preventable motor vehicle crashes.”