Wife Speaks Out After Boat Crash Kills Husband and 7-Year-Old Daughter: 'Everything's Just a Blur' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Reven Newbound (right) and his daughter Avery (center) were killed in the Sept. 1 boat crash.Photo:Courtesy of Samantha Newbound

Courtesy of Samantha Newbound

A Missouri woman is opening up about a horrific boat crash that killed her husband and their 7-year-old daughter over Labor Day weekend.

“We were just out camping for our holiday weekend, hanging out with friends, family, boat riding, and we were just going on our last ride,” Samatha Newbound, 29, tells PEOPLE just over a week after the deaths of husband Reven Newbound, 30, and their daughter Avery.

It’s still hard for her to remember what happened on that boat ride. “Everything is just a blur,” says Samantha, who was injured in the crash, as were the couple’s three other children.

She remembers seeing “a branch” and then “going to grab the kids to get them down in the boat.” She also recalls hearing her friend scream before she believes she briefly lost consciousness.

In anincident report, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said that Reven, who was operating the boat, and the 7 year old died after their boat struck a root and collided with a rock bluff on the Gasconade River in Osage County at 7 p.m. local time.

In the aftermath of the crash, Samantha says she was “hurt” and “knew I couldn’t move.”

Fortunately, one of her kids found Samantha’s phone. She called 911 and waited for authorities to get there.

“There were some people that were able to find us before the professionals and they just kind of stayed there and made sure that I was conscious and that the kids were okay,” she says.

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According to the incident report, Reven and Avery were pronounced dead at the scene, while Samantha and Avery’s siblings were hospitalized.

Among her many injuries, Samantha says she “had bones sticking out of my leg, so they put a rod and plates in my leg and my right leg.”

Reven Newbound.Courtesy of Samantha Newbound

Samantha, who is now back home with her surviving children, remembers her husband as a hardworking and caring man who “always wanted to make people laugh.”

As for her daughter, she says that Avery “had a heart of gold.”

“She always just wanted to make everyone happy and feel loved,” Samantha says. “She loved her brothers and sisters a lot.”

Avery DeBoeuf.Courtesy of Samantha Newbound

Kolb Grading, the company where Reven worked, tells PEOPLE in a statement that he was a utility crew foreman for them for several years.

“He lead with his knowledge, work ethic and willingness to tackle any task alongside his crew. Reven was fun-loving and full of energy and we will miss his visits to the office,” the company says, noting that above all, he “had a passion for life and his family.”

“The journey ahead will be long and challenging,” read a message on the fundraiser, which has raised over $40,000 as of Sept. 13.

Samantha tells PEOPLE that while some days are harder than others, she takes comfort in the support she and her family have received.

She adds, “I have an army behind me if I need it.”

source: people.com