A church bus carrying more than 30 members of Memorial Baptist Church in Temple, Texas, crashed on Interstate 35 south of Waco Feb. 14, killing seven people and injuring 33 others.
The crash occurred at 10 a.m. as the bus was traveling northbound in heavy rain. The church group, most over the age of 60, was en route to an afternoon Bill Gaither homecoming concert at Reunion Arena in Dallas.
According to Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Tom Vinger, the driver of the charter bus swerved to avoid stalled traffic and lost control of the vehicle. The bus slid into oncoming traffic and rolled onto an SUV, killing two of its three occupants instantly. Witnesses said that several of the passengers were ejected from the bus.
Killed aboard the bus were Dolores Hinton, 72; Jo Freeman, 70; Martha McKee, 77; and husband and wife, Melvin, 76, and Delois “Speedie” Akers, 72. Killed in the SUV were Brenda Dobelbower, 48, and Janice Roberson, 61, Donnie Hagen, 52, also in the SUV, was taken to the hospital and remains in critical condition.
When word of the accident spread to Temple, members of the 112-year-old Memorial Baptist Church – where Roy Parker serves as pastor – began to assemble in the sanctuary to await news and pray.
Gaither’s response
News of the bus reached Gaither shortly before his concert was scheduled to begin.
“Our thoughts and prayers go to each of the victims of this tragic accident, and to their families. These individuals will undoubtedly be present in our hearts as we sing about the hope of heaven during the concert they were traveling to attend today,” Gaither told the concert-goers at Reunion Arena.
“All are part of a tight-knit family,” Gaither said. “When one part of our family is aching, all are aching.”
A nine-member investigative team from the National Transportation Safety Board was dispatched to the site of the accident.
Preliminary investigations of the bus company revealed no pattern of accidents, and the driver was not suspected of operating the bus under the influence of alcohol or drugs, authorities said.
Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention.
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