Idaho Man Pleads Not Guilty to Crash That Killed 3 Little Girls

It's one of the most tragic stories to come out of our community for a long time. Three little girls lost their lives when a drunk driver slammed into the back of the car they were riding in. Now, that man has pleaded "not guilty" to vehicular manslaughter and aggravated driving under the influence. 

If you are unfamiliar with this tragic tale, it happened in Blaine County when 26-year-old Somchai Ray Lee Lurak was headed westbound on Highway 20 when he stopped at a construction traffic light signal near Hot Springs Landing.

46-year-old Matthew Park slammed into the back of Lurak's vehicle and the three little girls inside, 6-year-old Aneena Bolden, 5-year-old Kya Bolden, and 3-year-old Drayka Rayshell died from the impact.

According to a report on idahonews.com, the girl's father suffered injuries so severe that he is now an incomplete paraplegic. That means his spinal cord wasn't completely severed.

Because of the "not guilty" plea, this family that has lost so much must now endure a trial. That's tentatively scheduled to take place in February and is expected to last about a week.

We have had so many drunk driving tragedies in our community this past year. Here's just a couple to put things into perspective.

• 23-year-old Courtni Verity hit and killed Herbert "Herbie" Moran July 22, 2018
• 43-year-old Adam Paulson hit and killed 24-year-old Madeline "Maddie" Duskey November 18, 2017. 

I sat down with Madeline Duskey's Mom, Crystal to talk about the tragedy and the harsh realities of drunk driving for my "Not The Way I Planned" podcast. Give it a listen and make the commitment to never ever drink and drive.