'We Are Empty': 3 Children Taken From Family In Crash With Wrong-Way Driver

ST. LANDRY PARISH, LA — Three Louisiana siblings are dead and their mother in critical condition after their vehicle was hit head-on by a wrong-way driver as they were driving home from a high school basketball game last week.

"We are crushed. We are empty. We are devastated," their sister, Katie DeRouen, wrote on a GoFundMe page seeking donations to help with the family's medical expenses. "We don’t know how we will ever find joy in anything again."

According to Louisiana State Police, 20-year-old Lindy Simmons was driving a 2017 Cadillac XT5 SUV south on Interstate 49 when her vehicle was hit head-on by a Chevy Silverado driven by John Lundy, 54, of Dallas, Georgia.

Both Lundy and Lindy Simmons were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Fourteen-year-old Kamryn Simmons and 16-year-old Christopher Simmons died shortly after they were taken to nearby hospitals.

Also in the car was their mother, Dawn Simmons, and Christopher's 16-year-old girlfriend, according to DeRouen's post on GoFundMe. The group had traveled to Monroe for the Acadiana Christian School basketball game. Christopher was a member of the team, DeRouen wrote.

DeRouen said she learned of the crash after receiving a phone call from her father.

"My dad called me as I was at a Christmas party and told me, 'Mom got in a wreck. It’s not looking good, but she’s stable,'" DeRouen wrote. "I flew to the hospital, crying along the way, thinking my mom was hurt but absolutely not thinking anything worse."

It was worse. DeRouen later had to identify the bodies of both Kamryn and Christopher, she wrote.

"I have never in my life experienced more pain than in that moment," DeRouen wrote.

"Our lives are shattered," she continued. "We went from our big family of nine kids to six kids in the blink of an eye. I don’t know how we will ever move on or recover from this."

Louisiana State Police wrote in a release: "In one night the lives of several families have changed forever due to preventable circumstances. Over and over again, troopers see the tragic consequences of preventable motor vehicle crashes. The Louisiana State Police urges motorists to have a plan in place that includes always wearing their seat belt, never driving distracted or tired, and having a designated driver or an alternate ride home when consuming alcohol."

DeRouen said she created the GoFundMe page to help her parents through the "very dark days to come."

"Please know that I am not asking or begging for money. I am simply a hopeless daughter who’s trying to think of any way that I could make this even 0.000000001% better for my mom and dad," DeRouen wrote.

GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.