Christian rock worship band MercyMe was involved in a crash this weekend when their tour bus collided with a car in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Two passengers in the car and the driver’s unborn baby were killed in the crash. Members of the group and crew sustained minor injuries.According to reports, the bus was traveling through a green light at an intersection at around 1:00 AM when the driver of the car turned left into the path of the bus. A man and woman in the car, 17-year-old Barbara R. Schmucker and 19-year-old Dario L. Boutte, were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, Kara Klinker, 18, of Fort Wayne, was in her third trimester of pregnancy and the baby has died. Klinker remained hospitalized Saturday in critical condition.The band issued this statement through their publicist:
“MercyMe would like to express their incredible heartache over this horrible accident. They are praying for the families of all who this will affect, and are asking others to please pray as well. The band and crew sustained minor bumps and bruises, however their hearts are heavy. They appreciate the concern they have received from people all over the world.”
On the band’s blog, they posted this note:
“Please join with us in praying for the families of the car that hit our bus last night. Our hearts break for their families.”
MercyMe, who are from the Dallas area, had been in Fort Wayne for a Friday night show at Parkview Field and were traveling to Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka, Mo. for a concert on Saturday night. That show has been rescheduled for September 5, 2009. STLToday.com reports that if concert-goers are unable to attend the new concert date, they can receive a refund by mailing concert tickets to: Six Flags St. Louis, P.O. Box 60, Eureka, MO 63025. Attn: MercyMe.For a discussion about “MercyMe crash; Where was God,” head over to my Rochester Christian Living Examiner page.Click here to subscribe to Gospel Soundcheck by email and have the Gospel Soundcheck headlines delivered daily to your email inbox. And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter!