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A beloved grandmother, Douangpee Amnatkeo, 54, of Shippensburg, was driving a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox with her relatives Ericssan Kathpratoum, 13, Samiane Kothpratoum, 37, both of Shippensburg; and Monthy Matnopaseuth, 39, of Reading, in the passenger seats, while towing a U-Haul trailer back from the annual Lao New Year Festival at Wat Lao Buddharam in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, authorities said.
The family had been selling sugar cane drinks & Khao Lam, according to their friends, state police, and as seen in many videos on TikTok.
Douangpee lost control of the SUV for an unknown reason, and spun around while attempting to head north on Interstate 81, at the 120.3-mile marker in Montgomery County, Virginia around 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, according to Sergeant Richard C. Garletts of the Virginia State Police.
The SUV stopped facing south in the northbound lane— but that was only the first crash, moments later a Freightliner tractor-trailer struck the SUV, Garletts detailed in the release.
No one in the SUV was wearing a seatbelt, according to VSP.
Douangpee, Monthy, and Ericssan died at the scene, and Samiane was airlifted to Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where he later died, Garletts explained in the release. The driver of the tractor-trailer was unharmed.
The Virginia State Police Crash Reconstruction Team and Motor Carrier Team assisted with the crash which remained under investigation.
Their community has already been sharing about their loss on social media.
The family in Pennsylvania is hoping to hold a memorial service on June 4th, 2023, and wrote the following in a social media post:
"Anyone who is also mourning is welcome to grieve with the family in this tragic time at 12 Victoria Ct, Shippensburg, PA. The home is open to everyone and will remain open until the conclusion of the memorial services. Food and beverage (kid and adult) donations are welcome. Please come and celebrate their lives with us."
The family is accepting donations of floral arrangements or of monetary means directly to Fogelsanger-Bricker Funeral Home & Crematorium, Inc., which can be reached at 717-532-2211, to make a contribution via check or money order.
Anyone wanting to donate electronically can use CashApp or Venmo donations can be sent to: CashApp: $NahngSudsa or Venmo: @Sao-Sudsa.
There have also been two GoFundMe campaigns set up which you can donate to here and here.
"We would like to thank everyone for keeping our loved ones in their hearts and prayers and continue to remember the joy and memories that they have forever left us with," the family said.
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