NEWS

Kentucky man faces charges in head-on Knox County crash that killed mom of four

Bethany Bruner
The Columbus Dispatch
The O'Rourke family was forever changed on Aug. 1. Samantha O'Rourke, 31, was killed in a crash that seriously injured her husband, Levi, and two of her four children.

The first time Levi O'Rourke heard his future wife's voice over the phone, he knew she was special.

"I couldn’t believe the voice I just heard," O'Rourke, 33, said. "I started talking to her and that’s the longest phone conversation I’d ever had in my life to that point. I did not want to stop hearing her voice. It brought a lot of joy to me."

Nearly four years later, O'Rourke got down on one knee and asked Samantha to be his wife, taking on the role of father to her four children.

"From that moment on, I knew I was safe for the rest of my life," he said. "I had four kids that called me daddy and loved me. I was the dad, I was the coach. I was very prideful that she said yes. Nobody ever put up with me long-term," said O'Rourke, who described himself as a stubborn old Irish man. "She put up with me, and every single day she worked on bettering things."

Around 6:45 p.m. on Aug. 1, 31-year-old Samantha O'Rourke was driving with O'Rourke and two of her children in the family's Hyundai Elantra, heading north on State Route 661 near Airport Road in Knox County. O'Rourke said he remembers seeing a pickup truck coming directly toward their vehicle.

"I reached my left hand up to grab the steering wheel to get us in the ditch, but I didn't get my hand over the steering column," he said. "Our trajectory changed in an instant. I remember the impact."

Samantha O'Rourke, 31, was killed in a head-on crash on Aug. 1, 2022. The crash seriously injured her husband, Levi, and two of her four children.

O'Rourke said passersby pulled him out of the car. He said he had significant injuries to his leg and hip, and they wouldn't let him go to his wife or children.

"The last image I had (of Samantha) was her leaning over the steering wheel. I couldn’t hold her hand. I couldn’t stroke her cheek to comfort her or nothing," he said. "I had to find out from a guy at the hospital that my wife hadn’t made it. I had to tell my kids their mom didn’t make it."

The two children who were in the car remain hospitalized with serious injuries at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, where they were flown by medical helicopter. O'Rourke also was taken by medical helicopter from the crash, and remains hospitalized at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

The Ohio Highway Patrol said the driver of the Chevrolet Silverado pickup, 36-year-old Vince Arthur, of Rineyville, Kentucky, located about 50 miles southwest of Louisville, suffered minor injuries. He was treated at Knox County Hospital, then arrested. He is being held in the Knox County jail, charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, multiple counts of aggravated vehicular assault, and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence.

Arthur, who turned 36 birthday on the day of the crash, is believed to have been traveling at a high rate of speed when his pickup crossed the centerline and slammed head-on into the O'Rourkes' vehicle, troopers reported. Arthur's preliminary hearing date has now been continued to Aug. 17, but he could be indicted before that date.

A bartender, whom the Ohio Highway Patrol has not yet identified, has also been charged with providing alcohol to an intoxicated person.

O'Rourke said his wife had a big heart that shone through in her bright hazel eyes and vibrant laugh. The couple, who were together eight years, had been planning on moving in the next few weeks from their home in the Mount Vernon area.

Samantha had recently completed training with Love's Travel Stops to become a general manager of a store and was going to find out where they were relocating to before the end of August.

"It was the biggest opportunity either of us had ever seen," he said.

Apostolic Church in Mount Vernon has set up a fund to help the family rebuild their lives and cover expenses. All donations received by Aug. 31 will go to the O'Rourke family.

O'Rourke said he is grateful for the support and love he and his family have received and can feel the work of the prayers on their lives. But he wishes he could have his wife back.

"Don’t let friends drive drunk. Love them enough to not let them hurt themselves or someone else. Even if they’re mad tonight, they’ll love you tomorrow and they’ll be able to because they didn’t get behind the wheel," he said.

"You might have part of your life taken away like the guy that hit us. You might be the guy that destroys someone else’s whole world."

Dispatch reporter Cole Behrens contributed to this story.

bbruner@dispatch.com

@bethany_bruner