Four Family Members Killed in Car Crash
The people of Clays Mill Road Baptist Church remembered four members of the Avelar family after they were killed in a car accident, reports WKYT News.
Details of the Fatal Accident
Israel Avelar, 46, and his three sons, Kevin, 17, Daniel, 14, and Matthew, 6, were driving down Highway 315 in Carthage, Texas, when their van was rear ended by an SUV and pushed into an oncoming tractor-trailer, reports CBS 19.
Three other family members who were also in the Avelar’s van survived the accident. The Avelar’s were in Texas visiting family.
Pastor Fugate, who has been getting updates from the family, says the three family members who survived were still at the hospital as of May 22. Fugate says the Avelar’s oldest daughter was able to make her way down to Texas with help from the church.
Texas Auto Accident Statistics
Annual crash data shows that the number of traffic-related fatalities has been steadily increasing since 2010:
- 2015 (first six months): 1,643
- 2014: 3,534
- 2013: 3,408
- 2012: 3,417
- 2011: 3,015
- 2010: 2,998
According to StreetsBlog USA, the state of Texas has lead the nation in number of traffic deaths with at least one traffic death per day for the past 15 years. Even with the Texas Department of Transportation’s (DOT) #EndTheStreak campaign, statewide traffic deaths increased 3.7 percent in 2014 from 2013.
The Texas DOT reports that on average someone is injured every two minutes and someone is killed every two and a half hours
