Church bus crashes; 1 killed, 6 in hospital
Posted on Jul 13, 2009 | by Erin Roach
MERIDIAN, Miss. (BP)–A teenage boy was killed, six people remained hospitalized and several others suffered broken bones after a church bus crashed involving students from First Baptist Church in Shreveport, La.
The bus was carrying more than 20 teenagers and adults on their way to Passport youth camp in Macon, Ga., July 12 when a tire blew out and caused the bus to roll over on Interstate 20 near Meridian, Miss.
Elane Blackwell, an administrative assistant at First Baptist Shreveport, told Baptist Press the church’s youth pastor, Jason Matlack, remained in intensive care at a Meridian hospital on Monday. He was expected to recover.
Two girls, including the daughter of the church’s associate pastor for emerging ministries, were pinned under the bus when it rolled over, Blackwell said.
“Pray for our children. We had a family that lost a little boy. He was going to be a freshman in high school,” Blackwell said. Among the injured he noted that “Our associate pastor’s daughter is the one that is so bad, and it’s just touch and go. She needs brain surgery, and they can’t even do that because she’s not stable enough.”
The church identified the boy who was killed as Brandon Ugarte, and his funeral mass will be July 15 at the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans in Shreveport. The other girl who was pinned under the bus appears to be recovering, Blackwell said.
When the crash occurred, a unit from the Alabama National Guard happened to be traveling nearby, and the soldiers were able to upright the bus and provide immediate medical care.
Churches in the Meridian area rushed to help, including some members of First Baptist Church in Meridian.
“We had the chief deputy of the county sheriff’s department in our church, and he stopped me right after the service because he got texted during the service,” Matt Snowden, associate pastor at First Baptist Meridian, told BP. “We were able to call the pastor in Shreveport and get on it immediately.”
Some of the victims were taken to hospitals in Meridian, and some went to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
“We initially helped the church in Shreveport find where everybody was,” Snowden said. “Everybody was scattered. Then yesterday afternoon we helped with some small logistical things, moving bags around and helping people get to the airport. It’s mainly stuff like that — picking up lunch and getting supper lined up and things like that. Buying socks for ladies who need socks — just little small things.”
Because the victims were from a church youth group, Snowden said there wasn’t much need for his church to provide counseling.
“You have built-in counseling mechanisms there already. They’re really kind of leaning on each other,” he said. “I think the role of the Meridian churches has not been so much direct pastoral care but handling all the junk that has to be handled — the small, practical things.”
Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church in Meridian was close to the crash site, so people from that church retrieved scattered luggage and took it to their building until it could be claimed.
Snowden also mentioned Highland Baptist Church and Northcrest Baptist Church in Meridian as well as a local Methodist church and a Catholic church that were on hand to help.
“I think most of the Baptist churches probably did feel a special kinship, but really all the churches in our community have felt the blow of this,” Snowden said.
Blackwell of First Baptist Shreveport expressed gratitude for those in Meridian and at the hospital in Jackson who showed up to help in the aftermath of the crash.
“It’s been an incredible outpouring of Christian love,” she said.
Besides the six people who remain hospitalized, a statement on the church’s website said the others who were injured had returned to Shreveport Sunday night with “broken bones, fractured collar bones and lots of bruises.”
The congregation had received word of the accident shortly before the morning worship service, and they rallied in prayer for the victims. That evening, a hymn service included prayer and periodic updates on the injured.
“Our congregation is leaning on our faith and confidence in God, balancing direct action with reliance on the goodness and power of God,” Greg Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Shreveport, said on the church’s website, commending volunteers for their “heroic support.”
Wayne Smith, pastor of Fifteenth Avenue Baptist, said people from his church were quick to help because “that’s what you do.”
Church bus crashes; 1 killed, 6 in hospital
Baptist Press
Posted on Jul 13, 2009 | by Erin Roach
MERIDIAN, Miss. (BP)–A teenage boy was killed, six people remained hospitalized and several others suffered broken bones after a church bus crashed involving students from First Baptist Church in Shreveport, La.
The bus was carrying more than 20 teenagers and adults on their way to Passport youth camp in Macon, Ga., July 12 when a tire blew out and caused the bus to roll over on Interstate 20 near Meridian, Miss.
Elane Blackwell, an administrative assistant at First Baptist Shreveport, told Baptist Press the church’s youth pastor, Jason Matlack, remained in intensive care at a Meridian hospital on Monday. He was expected to recover.
Two girls, including the daughter of the church’s associate pastor for emerging ministries, were pinned under the bus when it rolled over, Blackwell said.
“Pray for our children. We had a family that lost a little boy. He was going to be a freshman in high school,” Blackwell said. Among the injured he noted that “Our associate pastor’s daughter is the one that is so bad, and it’s just touch and go. She needs brain surgery, and they can’t even do that because she’s not stable enough.”
The church identified the boy who was killed as Brandon Ugarte, and his funeral mass will be July 15 at the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans in Shreveport. The other girl who was pinned under the bus appears to be recovering, Blackwell said.
When the crash occurred, a unit from the Alabama National Guard happened to be traveling nearby, and the soldiers were able to upright the bus and provide immediate medical care.
Churches in the Meridian area rushed to help, including some members of First Baptist Church in Meridian.
“We had the chief deputy of the county sheriff’s department in our church, and he stopped me right after the service because he got texted during the service,” Matt Snowden, associate pastor at First Baptist Meridian, told BP. “We were able to call the pastor in Shreveport and get on it immediately.”
Some of the victims were taken to hospitals in Meridian, and some went to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
“We initially helped the church in Shreveport find where everybody was,” Snowden said. “Everybody was scattered. Then yesterday afternoon we helped with some small logistical things, moving bags around and helping people get to the airport. It’s mainly stuff like that — picking up lunch and getting supper lined up and things like that. Buying socks for ladies who need socks — just little small things.”
Because the victims were from a church youth group, Snowden said there wasn’t much need for his church to provide counseling.
“You have built-in counseling mechanisms there already. They’re really kind of leaning on each other,” he said. “I think the role of the Meridian churches has not been so much direct pastoral care but handling all the junk that has to be handled — the small, practical things.”
Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church in Meridian was close to the crash site, so people from that church retrieved scattered luggage and took it to their building until it could be claimed.
Snowden also mentioned Highland Baptist Church and Northcrest Baptist Church in Meridian as well as a local Methodist church and a Catholic church that were on hand to help.
“I think most of the Baptist churches probably did feel a special kinship, but really all the churches in our community have felt the blow of this,” Snowden said.
Blackwell of First Baptist Shreveport expressed gratitude for those in Meridian and at the hospital in Jackson who showed up to help in the aftermath of the crash.
“It’s been an incredible outpouring of Christian love,” she said.
Besides the six people who remain hospitalized, a statement on the church’s website said the others who were injured had returned to Shreveport Sunday night with “broken bones, fractured collar bones and lots of bruises.”
The congregation had received word of the accident shortly before the morning worship service, and they rallied in prayer for the victims. That evening, a hymn service included prayer and periodic updates on the injured.
“Our congregation is leaning on our faith and confidence in God, balancing direct action with reliance on the goodness and power of God,” Greg Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Shreveport, said on the church’s website, commending volunteers for their “heroic support.”
Wayne Smith, pastor of Fifteenth Avenue Baptist, said people from his church were quick to help because “that’s what you do.”
From Jimmy Dukes
Retia is having a very sleepy day. She seems to be doing well physically, although still somewhat confused. The neurologist seems to think medication is the main cause. They are changing her muscle relaxant to another to see if it will make her less confused. We hope and pray to that end. She needs the muscle relaxant for the tone problem in her left arm and leg, but it would be great to see the confusion lessened. We will take what we can get.
We do have some good news today. The neuro surgeon at Ochsner has agreed to replace the cranium piece for her. We also found out today the bone can be transported to Ochsner, so it can be done at the Big O. That is a relief for us. We are waiting for a date for the surgery.
It may be possible to transfer her to Orlando after the recuperation from the surgery. We also hope and pray to that end. While we love all our New Orleans family and friends and appreciate all they have done for us, we are ready to get home. Since that home is now Orlando, we are ready to get there.
We continue to appreciate the posts you all are making on Caringbridge. It is a blessing each morning for me to go there and hear from friends and family who care enough to visit the site and pray for us.
Please continue to lift Retia to the Father. We are trusting her to him and we know he cares more for her than all of us do. Let’s keep communicating with him about her, not so that he will know we care, he already knows that. Let’s do it because he gives us the privilege of communicating with him about some one we love nearly as much as he does.
blessings
jdukes
WHERE DID WE come from…?
Beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather succumbed to his courageous battle with cancer on July 12, 2009 at the age of 76. He was a native of Roseland, a resident of Amite and a veteran of the Korean Conflict. He is survived by his loving wife of 31 years, Camilla Ammons Davidson Hughes; daughters, Ann Marie Hughes Banos and husband, Orlando, Austin, TX, and Brenda Darlene Hughes, Walker, LA; sons, Johnny Lamar Hughes and wife, Gaisha, Tickfaw, LA and Michael Wayne Hughes and wife, Tracey, Walker, LA; stepdaughter, Ann Davidson Wax, Denham Springs, LA and stepson, Thomas H. Davidson, Sr. and wife, Judy, Denham Springs, LA; brothers, Jesse Edward Hughes, Baton Rouge, LA and Gary F. Hughes and wife, Shirley, Killian, LA; sisters, Faye Breeland and husband Carl, Amite, LA, Betty McMichael and husband, Leonard, Brenda Phillips and husband, James, and Linda Sands and husband, Donald, all of Roseland, LA; 17 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Oscar R. Hughes and Inez Jones Odom Hughes and stepmother, Nina K. Hughes. Visitation at McKneely Funeral Home of Amite and Kentwood,Inc. 110 E. Factory St., Amite, LA on Monday, July 13, 2009 from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. and from 9 a.m. until religious services at 11 a.m. Tuesday, conducted by Pastor Larry Blades and Rev. James Phillips. Interment in Tangipahoa Cemetery, Tangipahoa, LA. Pallbearers will be Benjamin T. Wax, Thomas H. Davidson, Jr., Trey Banos, Alex Banos, Clint Sands and Brandon Phillips. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Richard Murphy Hospice Foundation, 16013 Halbert Lane, Hammond, LA 70403 or Mt. Nebo Baptist Church, 64671 Hwy. 1054, Roseland, LA 70456. The family would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the staff of the Richard Murphy Hospice House for their very special care and comfort and to the E. R. “Bud” Glasgow family for their love and support.
The Prayer Link 
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