Three sisters killed after drunk driver plows truck into family vehicle in Idaho, father and fiancee critically injured
BELLEVUE, IDAHO: Three young Idaho sisters were killed early last Saturday, August 10, after a drunk driver plowed his pickup truck into the small sedan their father was driving.
Matthew Park, 46, of Fairfield, has been arrested and charged with vehicular manslaughter in connection to the deaths of sisters Aneena Lurak, 6, Kya Lurak, 5, and Drayka Emyka Rayshell, 3, after he admitted to being drunk, and allegedly had a blood-alcohol level content that was more than twice the legal limit.
The arrest came after Blaine County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the scene of a two-vehicle crash on Highway 20 at milepost 173, east of Hot Springs Landing, at around 1:19 am on August 10, according to a press release by Sheriff Steve Harkins.
A collision had occurred at the site of a temporary traffic signal for the Idaho Transportation Department's bridge construction project south of Bellevue.
On arrival, deputies located a white 1995 Dodge pickup truck which was being driven by Park on the roadway with extensive front end damage.
The second vehicle in the crash was a Blue 2000 Dodge Neon that was being driven by the girls' father, Somchai Ray Lee Lurak, which deputies found had suffered extensive rear-end damage.
All three girls were in the backseat of the Neon and succumbed to their injuries. Aneena and Kya died at the scene of the accident, while their sister Drayka died later at a hospital.
Lurak had broken his neck and suffered other serious injuries in the crash, and was flown via air ambulance to a hospital for treatment. He was listed as being in critical condition.
Also in the vehicle was Emma Weigand, the fiancée of the girls' father, who was the front-seat passenger. She was first taken to St. Luke’s in Ketchum and later transferred to St. Alphonsus Hospital in Boise.
Park did not suffer any significant injuries and declined medical assistance.
From their initial investigation, deputies determined that Lurak was traveling westbound on the highway and had stopped at the construction site when Park collided with the rear of the former's vehicle at speed.
They also noticed that Park was showing signs of intoxication, a suspicion that proved true when breath samples obtained from the 46-year-old showed he had a blood-alcohol level contents of .145, .191, and .189, which is more than twice the legal limit to drive.
On August 13, he was arraigned for two counts of felony Aggravated Driving Under the Influence, I.C. 18-8006, and three counts of felony Vehicular Manslaughter, I.C. 18-4006(3)(B). He remains in custody at the Blaine County Detention Center on a $400,000 bond
He is scheduled to make his next appearance in court on Aug 22.
A GoFundMe page has been set up by the girls' aunt to raise donations to cover funeral and medical expenses. It has raised $39,260 of a $100,000 goal in three days at the time of writing.