Pastor and three sons killed in car crash in Texas

Pastor Israel Avelar and his three sons were killed in a car crash near Carthage, Texas on Saturday, May 21 as the family was travelling back home. His wife and daughter are still in critical condition while his mother is expected to survive.

In a report by Lexington Herald Leader, Pastor Jeff Fugate of Clays Mill Road Baptist Church confirmed the casualties including the 46-year-old pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Lexington and his sons 17-year-old Kevin, 14-year-old Daniel, and 6-year-old Matthew.

Fugate shared that Hilda, Avelar's wife, and their 11-year-old daughter, Kimberly, are still in critical condition. The following day, an attempt at facial reconstruction surgery on Hilda had to be stopped because of severe injuries, but Fugate reported that Hilda is already improving.

He also said that the family's eldest daughter, Bibiann, had stayed behind in Lexington but was already on her way to be with her family.

"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," KGAS reporter Blake Holland told WKYT.

According to KGAS, deputies reported that the accident took place at 10:15 a.m. when the family's GMC Savana, driven by Kevin, slowed down for another vehicle turning off the highway. The Savana was struck from behind by a maroon Chevy Tahoe immediately thrusting it into an 18-wheeler.

The crash happened after the pastor's commencement exercises in Insituto Biblico Bautista Libertad (Freedom Baptist Bible Institute) for Pastoral Theology and Christian Leadership on Friday, May 20.

"God makes no mistakes," read a statement posted by the Freedom Baptist Church on their Facebook page.

Their post narrated Avelar's journey from three years ago when he decided to take on the institute's distance education program. They called on continued prayers for the family and for the church in Lexington where Avelar ministered.

"He loved his church members. He loved his family. He would always call us. They were all loveable. It's some words that I just can't, to me they were like family, personal family," Rita Aleman told KLTV.