LAROSE -- A 33-year-old woman from Cut Off and two of her children died Saturday night when the driver of a mini-van fell asleep and struck their car head-on on La. 308 near the T-Bois Bridge, police said.

Courtesy of the Houma Courier

In a separate incident in Houma, a husband and wife collided on their motorcycles resulting in a crash that killed the woman.

A third child, a 13-year-old daughter, suffered life-threatening injuries and has been taken to University Hospital in New Orleans.

State Police are waiting to notify family members before releasing the names of the mother and her 12-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son who were riding in a green Ford Focus.

"It’s the ultimate worst call you possibly can get," State Police Troop C spokesman Gilbert Dardar said. "I just couldn’t imagine.

"Every trooper at Troop C’s heart goes out to this family," Dardar added.

The exact condition of the four passengers in the white 2004 Honda Odyssey was unknown Saturday night, though Dardar said none of their injuries was believed life threatening.

The van’s 18-year-old driver told State Police she had been studying for finals at LSU and fell asleep on the way back to her family’s home in Larose, Dardar said.

The driver’s 56-year-old father was in the front seat and her 15-year-old brother and 54-year-old mother were in the backseat.

The Focus’ driver noticed the van’s driving erratically

and got on the shoulder, Dardar said. That’s when the mini-van struck the car directly head-on at 7:41 p.m.

He explained that the van’s left front hit the car’s right front.

"A head-on is a head-on. But you don’t see them totally squared off all the time," Dardar said.

Both vehicles came to rest a short distance from one another on the road’s shoulder.

"The Ford Focus looked like an accordion," Dardar said. "It was totally smashed in along the front."

The car’s passenger door ended up lodged in the front of the van, which also suffered heavy damage to its front.

The car’s driver and 12-year-old daughter were sitting in the front seat, Dardar said. The 13-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son were in the backseat.

The crash occurred several hundred feet from the T-Bois Bridge. The car had just passed the light at the bridge and was traveling toward Raceland.

In the Houma crash, a 61-year-old woman died after the motorcycle she rode collided with her husband’s bike, according to the state police. Neither of them wore proper helmets and alcohol use is suspected.

Bonnie Doggett of Gray was riding behind her husband, Robert Doggett, 54, on West Park Avenue at about 2 p.m. when her husband took a left turn onto the Elgin Street Bridge.

Locking up the front wheel of her 2007 Harley Davidson 1200XL Sportster, she skidded and collided with her husband, throwing both riders from their bikes.

Bonnie Doggett was taken to Terrebonne General Medical Center with head injuries. She later died. Robert Doggett received minor injuries, state police say.

Both riders were wearing novelty helmets not approved by the Departments of Transportation, according to state police, which is illegal.

DOT-approved helmets are clearly marked, while novelty helmets are often tagged with a warning that they are not to be used for protection.

"These helmets are thin and can’t withstand the impact sustained in a crash," said Trooper Gilbert Dardar, a spokesman for State Police Troop C. "Every motorcycle operator in our community needs to do their part and wear the proper equipment to ensure their safety."