Parreh Ngar Obituary, Death; – Soemeh Par says her father was so proud to see her graduate from Iowa State University last May. Two weeks later, he was dead.
Parreh Ngar, 47, was hit and killed by a drunk driver on May 25 last year. On Friday, that driver, Ngar’s longtime friend Myint Lwin, was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to vehicular homicide by OWI.
Par and her sister, Ploe Meh, both spoke at Lwin’s sentencing hearing to share their devastation at their father’s death. They lamented bitter milestones related to their education — Ngar’s death came not only two weeks after Par’s college graduation, but a year to the day before Meh is scheduled to graduate from high school.
Prosecutors said Ngar and Lwin, also of Des Moines, had gone out together on day of the crash, and that Ngar had gotten out of Lwin’s vehicle, only for Lwin to back his car into him and crash into a house. Lwin was found to have a blood alcohol content of 0.195, nearly 2 1/2 times the legal limit.
Lwin, through an interpreter, told the judge during the plea proceeding that “I was drunk and I was driving and I accidentally hit someone,” causing their death. He declined to make a statement before sentencing.
Par, the older daughter, told the court Lwin’s actions were “unforgivable.”
“My father was taken far too soon, all because of someone’s reckless, thoughtless decision. He deserved so much more,” she said. “I never imagined losing him at this age. I had so many unanswered questions. My dad was healthy and still had a long life ahead of him.”
Judge Paul Scott accepted Lwin’s plea and handed down the 25-year sentenc
Both described him as a caring father who fled to Des Moines from violence in his homeland of Myanmar to create a better life for his family in the United States.
“My Dad filled our lives with joy, as he was someone full of happiness,” Meh said. “One of the last conversations I had with my Dad was him asking me to teach him more English and help him practice, but his English was already really good. But I’ll never be able to do so.
