A tight-knit Louisiana community is reeling from a tragic car crash that claimed the lives of three siblings eight days before Christmas.
Lindy Simmons, 20, Christopher Simmons, 17, and Kamryn Simmons, 15, were killed Friday evening when their vehicle was hit head-on by a pickup truck driven on Interstate 49 by 54-year-old John Lundy, according to authorities.
Their mother, Dawn Simmons, and Christopher’s girlfriend Marissa were rushed to area hospitals.
Lundy was pronounced dead at the scene.
Katie DeReoun, one of the nine Simmons siblings, shared her grief in a gut-wrenching post on GoFundMe.
“The three babies of the family are gone,” DeReoun wrote. “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. … Our lives are shattered."
DeReoun described Lindy as “shy and quiet” and noted that she had recently been hired as a photographer at Nicholls State University, where she was a student. Christopher “was always concerned for his mom and worried about her spending even one penny on him,” DeReoun said, and Kamryn was “one of the sweetest people on earth and so caring.”
DeRouen is claiming that Lundy was driving under the influence of alcohol, but Trooper Thomas Gossen, the public information officer for Louisiana State Troop I, said officials are still waiting for toxicology samples to be analyzed and impairment is not suspected.
“He might have just been lost and confused,” Gossen told TODAY Parents. “It hasn’t been determined that he was impaired.”
In an interview with local NBC news affiliate KTVE channel 10, older brother Shea Simmons urged viewers to remember that “life is precious” and to “not take things for granted.”
"We really never know when it's our time," he added.
Katie DeReoun has been sharing updates about her mom on Facebook.
“She is still in a bind with her broken ankles, ribs and sternum but SHE is back,” DeReoun wrote Tuesday. “She was so alert. We laughed, then cried, then laughed. I know she has a long road ahead, both mentally and physically, but seeing how strong she was tonight, I have NO DOUBT that every prayer is being heard.”
According to an update ton GoFundMe, Christopher's girlfriend, Marissa, "had surgery on her leg, and it went well," but she is heartbroken.
So is Ray Simmons, who lost his three children.
"For over 30 years, he has been used to having kids and laughter fill his house, and now, it’s empty. Their rooms and belongings are still there, but without Lindy, Chris, and Kamryn, the house feels empty," DeReoun wrote. "Even seeing their cars parked in the driveway after returning from visiting his wife in the ICU is hard on him."