Church Van Overturns, All 12 Passengers Injured
Indianapolis
The Kansas City First Church of the Nazarene junior high missions team was involved in a serious accident outside Indianapolis on the afternoon of Sunday, June 19 that left all 12 passengers injured, three critically. The group, consisting of eight youth and four sponsors, was in Indianapolis participating in the One Heart, Many Hands compassionate ministry project that precedes General Assembly.
The Indianapolis Star reported Monday that preliminary indications from the scene were that the van, which was towing a rented trailer, was in the center lane of a three-lane highway when a car from the right lane collided with it, causing both to skid to the right. The van struck the end of a guardrail, ran off the road, and flipped three times before landing on its roof in the highway's drainage ditch. A punctured gasoline tank caused fuel to spill on some of the passengers, resulting in chemical burns. The car ended up facing the wrong way on the highway.
Firefighters from the Wayne Township, Decatur Township, and Indianapolis fire departments spent the next hour getting the injured people out of the vehicles. At least one person was taken from the scene in a LifeLine helicopter from Methodist Hospital, and the others were sent to that facility and Wishard Memorial Hospital for treatment. Three of the 12 Kansas City First members that were treated remain hospitalized.
According to a Kansas City First Church press release, Gary Morsch, president of Heart-To-Heart, sponsor of the One Heart, Many Hands ministry project, is providing a full-time staff person to provide counseling for the team members. The team plans to remain in Indianapolis to work on the project.
Neil MacPherson, associate pastor at the church, told the Kansas City news channel, KMBC-TV9, "We are really amazed and grateful the injuries are no more serious or numerous than what they are." MacPherson said the church was preparing for a Father's Day service when they learned of the accident, so “instead of going with the service, we gathered in prayer groups."
--NCN News, The Indianapolis Star
The Indianapolis Star reported Monday that preliminary indications from the scene were that the van, which was towing a rented trailer, was in the center lane of a three-lane highway when a car from the right lane collided with it, causing both to skid to the right. The van struck the end of a guardrail, ran off the road, and flipped three times before landing on its roof in the highway's drainage ditch. A punctured gasoline tank caused fuel to spill on some of the passengers, resulting in chemical burns. The car ended up facing the wrong way on the highway.
Firefighters from the Wayne Township, Decatur Township, and Indianapolis fire departments spent the next hour getting the injured people out of the vehicles. At least one person was taken from the scene in a LifeLine helicopter from Methodist Hospital, and the others were sent to that facility and Wishard Memorial Hospital for treatment. Three of the 12 Kansas City First members that were treated remain hospitalized.
According to a Kansas City First Church press release, Gary Morsch, president of Heart-To-Heart, sponsor of the One Heart, Many Hands ministry project, is providing a full-time staff person to provide counseling for the team members. The team plans to remain in Indianapolis to work on the project.
Neil MacPherson, associate pastor at the church, told the Kansas City news channel, KMBC-TV9, "We are really amazed and grateful the injuries are no more serious or numerous than what they are." MacPherson said the church was preparing for a Father's Day service when they learned of the accident, so “instead of going with the service, we gathered in prayer groups."
--NCN News, The Indianapolis Star