The driver who killed three Jeanerette siblings and also perished in a wrong-way crash on I-49 was intoxicated at the time of the crash, new Louisiana State Police toxicology results confirm.
The driver, 54-year-old John Lundy of Dallas, Georgia, had an alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit when his Chevrolet pickup collided head first with an SUV driven by 20-year-old Lindy Simmons around 9 p.m. on Dec. 17. Lundy was driving the wrong way in the southbound lanes of I-49 near La. 29, Louisiana State Police Troop I spokesperson Trooper Thomas Gossen said in a statement.
A blood sample was taken from Lundy after the crash and processed at the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab. In Louisiana, a blood alcohol concentration of .08% or higher is considered presumptive evidence of drunken driving.
A joint service has been announced for the three Jeanerette siblings killed in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 49 days before Christmas.
Lundy and Lindy Simmons died at the scene. Lindy’s younger siblings – Christopher Simmons, 17, and Kamryn Simmons, 15 – died at separate area hospitals after being injured in the crash, State Police said in a statement.
The Simmons’ mother, Dawn Simmons, and Christopher’s girlfriend, Marissa, were also in the SUV and hospitalized post-crash, the family has said in updates online.
Gossen cautioned people to have a plan for safely returning home when drinking, especially with New Year’s festivities looming, and warned drivers never to get on the road while intoxicated.
“As we approach this New Year’s Eve and New Year’s celebrations, let us do so remembering those who have died this past year as a result of someone else’s careless decision to get behind the wheel impaired. Let us not lose the lesson of the devastating consequences those poor decisions have had on our communities,” State Police said in the statement.
Local and state officials pleaded with Louisiana drivers to be extra careful on the roads heading into the Christmas holiday as the number of …
Katie DeRouen, elder sister of Lindy, Christopher and Kamryn Simmons, has detailed the family’s devastation and recovery in online posts on her Facebook and a GoFundMe page established to assist the family. A joint funeral service will be held for the three siblings on Tuesday at Our Savior’s Church at 4201 E. Admiral Doyle Drive in New Iberia.
“So senseless, selfish and preventable,” DeRouen wrote in a Facebook post Thursday, after her family received notification from State Police that Lundy had been intoxicated.
She also shared a statement from Marissa’s mother; the teen suffered a broken femur and other injuries in the crash. Bethany Eddlemon Darby issued a call for prayers for her daughter and Dawn Simmons’ continued healing, peace for the Simmons family and comfort for all victims of drunken driving.
“This tragedy was completely preventable and should not happen to anybody. This selfish, senseless act has devastated all those involved. Three beautiful children with boundless opportunities and life in front of them have been taken away from their loving families by a drunk driver leaving behind grief and sorrow,” she wrote in an online post.
Katie Simmons DeRouen was at a Christmas party on Friday night when she got the call. Her mom and three youngest siblings had been involved in…
