25 December 2023 , 17:09
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A family is desperately trying to recover after a drunk driver killed three siblings has raised over $800,000.
Kamryn Simmons, 14, Christopher Simmons, 16, and Lindy Rae Simmons, 20, of Jeanerette, Louisiana, were all killed when they were hit by John Lundy, 54, who was driving the wrong way down a busy road.
Lundy's blood was tested at the scene of the December 17 2021 crash and he was found to have an alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit.
The Simmons family were driving home from Christopher's basketball game with Lindy driving. Also in the car was the siblings’ mother Dawn and Christopher’s girlfriend Marissa.
Lindy, 20, died at the scene as did Lundy. The other four in the Simmons car were rushed to different but Christopher and Kamryn were later pronounced dead.
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Surviving family members gather round Dawn as she recovers (GoFundMe)Dawn was critically injured, breaking her ribs, sternum, wrist, and both ankles/legs, in addition to suffering a lacerated carotid artery, a partially punctured lung, and an injured spleen. She needed a number of surgeries and a year after the crash she could still feel "all of the hardware in her legs."
Writing in the GoFundMe, surviving sister Katie said: "Our lives our shattered. My parents lived for us. Everything they did in life was for the benefit of their children. 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."
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Flowers left in tribute to the killed siblings (GoFundMe)The fundraiser and the shocking story of three siblings being killed, were met with an outpouring of love and support from across the US.
At the time of writing this, over $800,000 dollars had been raised with the money going to support the still-grieving family.
A year after the crash, Katie wrote: "To say our family has and still is struggling would be an understatement. We have had two inpatient admissions in the family due to psychiatric reasons caused by immense grief. To have the financial burden and stress removed for my parents is something I am forever grateful for. I don’t think anyone plans to have their entire world ripped apart in such a tragic manner."
The state of the car after the crash (Handout)The family set up an organisation called Simmons 3 in the wake of the crash. With it, the family hope "to raise awareness of the devastating effects of impaired driving and to help other families who have been affected by impaired drivers."
Katie wrote: "Lindy, Christopher & Kamryn’s legacy will live on, and they will change the world. They were remarkable little people, and they should have never had their lives stolen for something that is so preventable."