The city of Sherwood, Arkansas, is mourning the deaths of five devout Christian students after a fatal multi-car collision on I-80 last Sunday while on their way home from attending Bible classes at Jackson Hole Bible College in Wyoming.
Sylvan Hills High School seniors Susana Prime and Ava Luplow, both 18, were among the victims as well as school graduates Salomon Correa, 21; Maggie Franco, 20; and 23-year-old Andrea Prime, Susana’s sister, katv.com reported.
Their vehicle collided with a Dodge Ram heading east in the westbound lanes. The pickup truck collided with a passenger car and commercial truck, forcing another truck to swerve into the other side of the road where the driver collided head-on with the students’ Ford F-150.
All five students attended Faith Bible Fellowship, which mourned the students in this Facebook post. A combined funeral service will be held on Feb. 4 at 10 a.m. at the Sylvan Hills High School Performing Arts Center.
Following the fatal accident, more than 100 people gathered at Faith Bible Fellowship for a candlelight vigil.
“Our fellowship is mourning the loss of five of our young adults,” the church said in a statement.
In a statement, Jackson Hole Bible College said, “they had spent this past week sitting in on classes and getting to know this year’s student body, as well as catching up with staff who were previous classmates to three of them.
“It is with inexpressible joy that we tell you that our friends had placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. As a result, we know they are currently with Him, a reality we are quite envious of.
“We know from God’s Word in Colossians 1:16 that “by Him (Jesus) all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth visible and invisible whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things have been created through Him and for Him.”
Quint Scruggs, a former classmate with some of the victims, told KATV.com the mid-sized community (33,000 population) is in disbelief over the students’ deaths.
“I didn’t believe it until I got over social media and that’s all I saw. I told everybody, ‘there’s no way, I don’t believe it.’
“They were always joyful. I mean, there was never a dull moment,” Scruggs said. “They always made you laugh. … We can’t take it back. You know they’re gone and they are in a better place.”
Rob Stewart made this comment on Faith Fellowship’s Facebook page: “As the father of a college-bound son, this hits way too close to home. I cannot imagine what the families are going through. I pray that God will comfort them, knowing these young adults are now in His presence. One day, God will wipe away every tear from our eyes … but today, for now, we grieve with you.”
Wyoming High Patrol said on its Facebook page that the fatal crash happened at milepost 219 on Interstate 80, east of Rawlins, Wyoming.
Bring Charisma magazine home with a subscription today!
Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.
To contact us or to submit an article, click here.
Get Charisma’s best content delivered right to your inbox! Never miss a big news story again. Click here to subscribe to the Charisma News newsletter.