KNOX COUNTY, Ohio — A family is forever changed in an instant after Samantha O'Rourke, a wife and mother, lost her life in a crash.
Troopers tell us on Aug. 1 the family was hit head-on by a truck on State Route 661 in Knox County. They say the driver was driving drunk.
Her husband, Levi O'Rourke, and two of her children were also seriously injured in the crash.
“She had a beautiful eyes and a smile that would just draw you in,” said Levi O’Rourke.
Levi was in the passenger seat last Monday night coming home from work and two of his four stepchildren were in the backseat. Samantha was driving, when they were hit head on by a drunk driver.
“I keep seeing my wife in that damn car slumped over the wheel and I keep wanting to get her, get up and get to her, and they would not let me,” he said.
Levi says his stepchildrens' injuries range from bleeding in the brain, to a broken collar bone and a broken back.
He said he's at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and is unable to leave and get to his stepchildren because of his own injuries. But he says he'd get hurt 100 times over to have his Samantha back.
“Life's not going to be as bright as it once was,” he said.
Police say 36-year-old Vince Arthur is charged with aggravated vehicular homicide in the case.
A Mount Vernon bartender is charged with a violation of furnishing beer and intoxicating liquor to an intoxicated person.
A local church has set up an account to help the family. If you would like to donate to the family, you can click here.