College-bound couple, aged 20 and 18, killed after drunk US soldier rams truck into their car in Alaska
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA: A student-athlete couple set for college have been killed after a drunk US soldier smashed into their car in a horror crash. Amelia Nowak, 18, and Derek Duerr, 20, were the victims of a shameless hit-and-run in Anchorage on Sunday, August 21. The couple was killed when a pickup truck allegedly being driven by Matthew Davis, a US soldier, plowed into the car. Davis had allegedly been in three separate crashes involving multiple vehicles that day, according to People.
The soldier allegedly ran into Amelia and Derek's car and then sped off before colliding into a third and final car and was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The young couple was stopped at an intersection when the pickup truck slammed into their vehicle, according to police. The impact of the crash sent their car careening into a tree where it exploded into flames. The couple died before firefighters could rescue them.
READ MORE
Family vacation turns into tragedy as horrific car crash kills couple and 15-year-old son
3 youngsters die in fiery crash as 'impaired' driver hits guard rail in high-speed chase with police
According to Anchorage Daily News, a witness allegedly spotted Davis driving between 80mph to 90mph before the fatal accident. Court records are said to show Davis was charged with two counts of manslaughter and one count of driving under the influence, according to People. Davis, a Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson soldier told cops he drank 10 to 15 alcoholic drinks at a number of bars before getting behind the wheel. Davis reportedly had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit of 0.08 per cent. He allegedly told police he "doesn't remember driving that day."
Family members of the deceased told an Anchorage court that their loved ones were headed to college in the fall on basketball scholarships. Friends say Amelia Nowak was an uplifting force, a determined student and the “one-person welcoming committee” for newcomers on Anchorage’s South High basketball team. Derek Duerr was known to his friends as dedicated, selfless, and kind, and had a knack for connecting with a wide range of people and always strove to do what was right.
A day after the collision, bouquets of flowers decorated the ground beneath a charred tree at 15th Avenue and Cordova Street, where the crash occurred. The mothers of both victims spoke tearfully about their children at a court hearing Monday. Mourners and friends made regular visits to the site last week.
Nowak was a recent graduate of South High. She was weeks away from taking the next big step in her life, embarking on a college career at Western Washington University, where she planned to study medicine and play on the basketball team. Duerr was also taking a big new step in his life. He graduated from East High in 2021 and was heading to Bellevue Community College, where he also planned to play basketball.
The two were dating and worked together at the Alaska Club location in South Anchorage. They had hoped to stay in touch as they started new paths, according to Fred Falealili, a friend of Duerr’s who worked at the fitness center with the couple. “They were going to be an hour apart,” Falealili said. “They were planning on seeing each other every month.” Nowak arrived in Alaska from Texas in 2018, according to friends. She made an immediate impression on the student body at South.
Abigail Branet played basketball for the Wolverines with Nowak. She said that when the two of them met, Nowak radiated positivity and her upbeat personality became contagious. “When we were down, she’d be there picking us up,” Branet said. “If anyone was on the floors, she was the first person to go pick them up.” Taylor Dumlao met Nowak in an AP World History course shortly after she arrived at South and had a similar experience. “She was super caring,” Dumlao said. “She loved everybody, and even if you weren’t on her good side if you needed her, she was still there.”
The two became close friends and took a senior trip to Hawaii together in July. There was plenty of beach time and shopping on the Maui trip, Dumlao said. But the highlight was a late-night stargazing excursion. “We went and watched the stars,” Dumlao said. “It was a really far drive up a mountain. She loved it. It was her favorite thing. We were there for like, two to three hours, and she was just sitting outside the car watching the stars. Everything felt so close to us when we were up there. It was gorgeous.”
South High girls basketball coach Larry Wilson called Nowak “the heartbeat of the team,” describing her as a player who “did a lot of the dirty work for us. She dove on the floor for the ball, and played tough defense.”
A judge set Davis' bail at $80,000. While Davis was appointed a public defender, attorney information was not immediately available, and it was unclear if he entered a plea to the charges.