Minnesota boy, 9, and his father die in series of crashes on Ohio turnpike

PRIOR LAKE, Minn. — A Minnesota family is changed forever after a series of tragic turnpike crashes.

The Tibetan refugees were on their way to see the Dalai Lama in New York when the deadly wreck happened last Thursday.

Among the dead are 9-year-old Dawa Norbu and his father, 46-year-old Tenzin Drukgyal. Both were beloved members of a local Tibetan community organization.

Twelve-year-old Tenzin Choedon suffered serious injuries in the crash and is in critical condition at a hospital in Ohio.

The family's mother is now home in Prior Lake with a broken arm, worrying for her daughter while also grieving her husband and son.

"Everybody come here to pray with us right now. All the Tibetans are going through a lot of sadness. All the Tibetans from Minnesota, everyone is so sad," Sonam Wangchuk, a family friend, said.

Tenzin goes to Tibetan school on Saturdays. She is described as very hardworking and several of her teachers have written her letters of support.

The family started a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help with their medical bills.

Authorities in Ohio arrested a semi-truck driver for causing one of the crashes.