WATERLOO - Bouakham Khemphomma waited up Wednesday for her husband and two children to come home.

The children were staying with relatives, and Soubink Khemphomma, their father, punched out from his job at Tyson Fresh Meats at 6 a.m. to trek to Mountain Lake, Minn. The plan was to bring them back to Waterloo so they could be ready for the first day of school Thursday.

"I cooked for them," Bouakham said. "Food was on the table, and I waited."

The three never arrived. At about 2:30 p.m., a chain-reaction accident developed on Interstate 90 near Albert Lea Minn. A semi slammed into the family's Honda minivan, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

Soubink Khemphomma, 46; the couple's son, Bambi, 13; and their daughter, Christi, 11; died as a result of their injuries.

"It's sad. It wasn't his fault," said Kham Lo, a family friend.

Bouakham got word of the fatal accident shortly after 8 p.m. when a police officer knocked on her door.

According to an accident report, the scene of the crash was in a construction zone where traffic narrowed to two undivided lanes. The road was wet.

According to authorities in Minnesota, a car driven by Gloria Anderson, 62, of St. Charles, Ill., was eastbound but veered over the centerline into the westbound lane.

Anderson's Toyota hit a westbound semi driven by Randy Pedersen, 56, of Swaledale. The semi crossed into the eastbound lane and collided with Soubink's minivan.

Anderson was also killed. The truck driver was not injured.

Bambi was a student at Bunger Middle School in Evansdale. Christi went to Lowell Elementary.

Portraits of the three adorned a low table Thursday at the Khemphommas' home. Candles flickered nearby and three sticks of incense smoldered around a clock, part of a Laotian tradition to beckon the dead home.

Plates on the table held treats. A pack of Marlboro cigarettes for Soubink. A Monster energy drink for Bambi. A pink teddy bear snuggled next to Christi's photo.

Soubink fled Laos and lived in a refugee camp in Thailand before moving to the United States in 1982, according to family members. The family previously lived in Minnesota but decided to move to Waterloo about five years ago to be closer to friends.

Relatives described Soubink as a mild-mannered man who worked hard to support his family. Bambi liked break dancing, football and his bike. He also played violin. Christi was an avid reader who excelled in school, bringing home straight As. She also liked cooking and hanging out with friends.