Survivors of fatal DUI crash speak about the accident and the road to recovery

Somchai, Emma and their three little girls who lost their lives to a drunk driver in August of 2019.

Editor’s Note: When I got a hold of Somchai and Emma we ended up sitting down for an almost three hour conversation spanning the night of the accident, their lives before the crash and their dreams for the future. It was a conversation of highs and lows with moments of hope and moments where all of us had tears in our eyes. There is so much to this story and I decided to

split it into a two part series. Pick up a copy of next week’s issue to hear more about their story and their plans for the future.

On August 10, 2019 a family’s lives was tragically changed forever when their vehicle was struck from behind by a drunk driver.

Somchai Lurak, his fiance Emma Weigand and three daughters were stopped at a construction site on Highway 20 east of Hot Springs Landing, when Mathew Park failed to stop and slammed into the back of the family’s Dodge Neon.

Aneena Lurak, age 6, and Kya Lurak, age 5, both died at the scene. Their younger sister Drayka, age three, was taken by Air Ambulance to St. Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise where she succumbed to her injuries.

Somchai and Emma were both transported to St. Alphonsus for their injuries as well.

For the full story, pick up a copy of the Mountain Home News or click on this link to subscribe to the newspaper's online edition.