MINNEAPOLIS — A funeral was held Thursday morning in Minneapolis for two of the victims of last week’s deadly Ohio Turnpike crash.
Tenzin Drukgyal, 46, and his son, Dawa Norbu, 9, died in the early morning hours of Aug. 15 when their Toyota Highlander was struck from behind by a commercial vehicle near Exit 49 in the eastbound lanes.
A service in the Washburn-McReavy Hillside Chapel in Minneapolis celebrated their lives.
Drukgyal’s daughter, Tenzin Choedon, 12, was seriously injured and remains in a Toledo hospital. A family member told a reporter from KARE 11, WTOL's sister station in Minneapolis, that the girl is expected to have one additional surgery and her recovery could be up to a year. Thupten Choeden, the wife and mother, suffered a serious hand injury.
The family was traveling from Minneapolis to New York to meet with the Dalai Lama, who is recovering from knee surgery in New York City. The family are members of the Tibetan Dhokham Chushi Gangdruk group, which was set up to support survivors of Chushi Gangdruk resistance. The guerrilla group found against Chinese forces and helped the Dalai Lama escape Tibet in 1959.
Tenzin is a common Tibetan name that is a tribute to the Dalai Lama, whose given name is Tenzin Gyatso.
The deadly 5:34 a.m. crash was the first in a series of crashes last Thursday. It occurred near the entrance to the Swanton Township toll plaza at Exit 49. A second series of crashes took place 25 minutes later about a mile behind the accident. In that accident, multiple semis crashed and a passenger vehicle slid into them, killing one person in the vehicle.
The third crash happened at 6:24 a.m. in the turnpike’s westbound lanes near milepost 50.
This crash involved three commercial vehicles and two passenger vehicles, resulting in one fatality and five additional injuries.
One arrest in turnpike crashes
According to court records, 24-year-old Istam Naimov, of Philadelphia, was arrested by the Ohio State Highway Patrol at the time of that crash and was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide; vehicular manslaughter: negligently. The charge is a second-degree misdemeanor.
NTSB agents continue to investigate and their preliminary report is expected within 30 days. A final report will take up to a year. But at a news conference, an investigator said the driver of the Toyota Highlander slowed unexpectedly and was hit by a semi.
New Swanton toll plaza
The impact happened right near the entrance to the new toll plaza. In late July, 11 Investigates reported that many drivers have been confused by the new plaza. Between April 10 and Aug. 10, 440,000 drivers either missed the east or westbound plaza or their E-ZPass was not recognized.
No official cause has been released, but multiple people with knowledge of the investigation told 11 Investigates that confusion over the plaza is being considered as a factor in the initial crash.
N.Y. crash victim
Ajla Vukovic, 20, of Utica, N.Y., has also been identified as a victim in the crash. CBS affiliate WKTV in Utica reported that the woman was in the backseat of a car traveling to a Bosnian festival in Iowa when it was hit by a semi. Her vehicle was traveling westbound and was involved in the crash that troopers say was caused by Naimov. It is unknown if her funeral has taken place.
No identification has been announced for the second victim, who died in the second series of crashes.
GoFundMe accounts have been set up for both the Minnesota family and Vukovic.