Crash survivors say they wouldn’t be where they are today without community support

Emma and Somchai try to stay positive in the months since the accident by holding onto the happy moments.

In August of 2019, Somchai Lurak and Emma Weigand went through every parents nightmare when their vehicle was struck by a drunk driver on Highway 20 and their three daughters perished. Somchai suffered spinal cord injuries and was diagnosed as a quadriplegic. Emma suffered a snapped humerus and broken ribs and has since been diagnosed with PTSD.

Though it has been a long, rough road the couple is trying to stay positive and Somchai has made great strides in regaining mobility that he was never supposed to have again. He is what is considered an Incomplete Quadriplegic meaning that his spinal cord wasn’t severed but crushed. He can still feel everything.

“Imagine feeling the need to move and not being able to,” Emma said, comparing it to one’s limbs falling asleep.

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