Pastor and His 3 Sons Die in Devastating Crash After Bible College Graduation
A pastor and his three sons died in a car wreck over the weekend as they drove home from the father’s Bible college graduation, according to multiple reports.
Israel Avelar and sons Kevin, Daniel and Matthew died in the crash while the pastor’s wife, Hilda, and daughter Kimberly are listed as in critical condition. Israel Avelar’s mother, Lazara Abaraca, was also injured in the crash but is expected to recover.
“When I got on scene what I initially saw was quite a mess of an accident; probably the worst I’ve ever seen, several fatalities and several people injured and a lot of the vehicles that were involved you couldn’t even really make out what kind of vehicles they were before the accident happened,” Blake Holland, a reporter told WKYT.
Avelar planted a small Spanish-speaking congregation out of Clay Mill Road Baptist Church in Kentucky, according to Lexington Herald Leader.
“I may be a pastor, but I am asking the same tearful questions other people are asking. Why this family that was just a great example of a family that loved and served God? Why all of them? I may be a pastor, but I don’t have the answers to those questions,” neighbor Pastor Tanya Tyler said.
Our prayers are with the family as they deal with this horrible tragedy.
