Gospel singer James Fortune hit by drunk driver on his way to church

Gospel singer James Fortune got into an accident caused by a drunk driver while he was on his way to church on Wednesday night.

The day after the incident, Fortune's team posted on Facebook a photo of the Grammy-nominated singer strapped to a stretcher with his eyes closed, informing fans that he was involved in a four-car collision.

During the weekend, the Gospel music artist updated his fans of his condition and thanked them for their prayers. In a video posted on Facebook, he stated in part, "Thank you all so much for all the prayers, I'm home, I'm home, still sore but I'm alive ... All the love and support that came in really meant a lot to me and my family. But God is good, he's faithful."

In March 2016, Fortune pleaded guilty to a third-degree felony charge of assault for physically attacking his wife, Cheryl. He was sentenced to five days in jail and five years of probation, on top of completing 175 hours of community service and attending a batterer's intervention program. He was also mandated to keep a distance from his wife.

The plea deal stemmed from an October 2014 incident wherein the couple got into an argument after they returned from a trip to South Africa. Reports claimed that the assault included Fortune attacking his wife with a wooden vanity stool, as well as kicking and throwing her against a wall, resulting in Cheryl being rushed to the emergency room with broken bones.

In a confession published on Essence in September 2016, however, Fortune indicated that media blew the incident with his wife out of proportion, stating, "I wasn't guilty of all that was reported, like hitting her with a bar stool, but I was guilty of assaulting my wife." He explained that during the argument, he was trying to remove his wife from the bedroom, and in the process, he assaulted her.

The "I Trust You" singer shared that he had since realized that his need for control was the root cause of his abusive behavior, but he remains hopeful, saying: " I realized that I'm an abuser and I may never be forgiven or trusted again. When you release the shame, you can live again. God still has a purpose for my life."