9-year-old Minnesota boy and his father die in series of traffic accidents on the Ohio Turnpike

PRIOR LAKE, Minnesota — A Minnesota family is forever changed after a series of tragic highway accidents.

The Tibetan refugees were on their way to see the Dalai Lama in New York when the fatal accident occurred last Thursday.

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

Twelve-year-old Tenzin Choedon suffered serious injuries in the accident and is in critical condition in an Ohio hospital.

The mother of the family is now at home in Prior Lake with a broken arm, worrying about her daughter while also mourning the loss of her husband and son.

“Everyone come here now to pray with us. All Tibetans are going through great grief. All Tibetans from Minnesota, everyone is so sad,” said Sonam Wangchuk, a family friend.

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

The family started a fundraiser on GoFundMe to pay her medical bills.

Authorities in Ohio have arrested a semi-trailer driver for causing one of the accidents.