A bus accident killed one Abilene Christian University student and left at least a dozen passengers injured Nov. 4 when the driver lost control on a curve, crashing the bus into a concrete culvert, causing it to roll and eject several students.
ACU, Lipscomb’s sister school in Abilene, Texas, annually sends agriculture students to serve at a children’s home in Medina, a town about 230 miles from the university. The bus was carrying 12 students, three faculty and one faculty member’s wife. Anabel Reid, a 19-year-old student, was killed in the crash.
Monday afternoon, Nov. 7, the ACU Optimist reported that two people were still in critical condition, three others were listed in good condition and three more were in fair condition. Seven had been treated and released.
Several members of the Lipscomb faculty have ties to ACU and responded with heartfelt concern for the community.
Kent Gallaher, chair of Lipscomb’s Department of Biology, taught at ACU from 2004 to 2008. He and ACU Professor Emmett Miller started the annual trip to Medina Children’s Home.
“My dear friend Emmett Miller experienced major head trauma and a broken arm,” Gallaher said. “His wife, Pat, was very badly injured and, as of this morning, continues to be in a coma.
“I’ve been in close contact with folks in Texas since Friday evening. It makes my heart ache,” he continued. “The annual Medina trip was something that Emmett and I did together. If I were still teaching there, I too would have been on that bus.”
Lipscomb’s Jackie Halstead, associate director of the Institute for Christian Spirituality, worked at ACU for 12 years.
“Words cannot express my sadness at the tragedy of the ACU bus accident,” Halstead said. “How awful to lose a student, daughter, and friend in that manner! The mother of the student who died gave the driver such a gift when she told him that she did not hold him responsible for the death of her daughter. He’ll carry that burden with him a long time and her grace was important.
“Please be in prayer for the ACU community,” Halstead added. “They are reeling from this event, and they need God’s comfort.”
Bethany Crouch, administrative assistant in Lipscomb’s Department of Communication & Journalism, previously worked for ACU’s Honors College.
“My heart just breaks for the whole ACU faculty and student body, as I know what a tightly-knit community they have there,” Crouch said. “I know God is faithful to answer prayers, and I think they need prayers for both physical healing and emotional healing for everyone involved.”
Crouch said she knew several students who had participated previous years in the children’s home mission trip.
“This is a tragedy on so many levels, but I find hope and comfort in the way God’s people come together in their lament and petitions to him,” she said. “There are many believers uniting to pray for the students and families involved, and I know God will be honored through the faithfulness of those who seek His help and wait patiently for his comfort and healing.”
In response to the accident, ACU had a prayer vigil Friday night, which 800 staff and students attended. The university also hosted a devotional Sunday night and a special chapel service Monday morning. The chapel service was viewed by more than 500 people outside the university via live streaming video.
Nearly a decade ago, five ACU students were killed in a car accident when one student fell asleep at the wheel, causing the vehicle to veer off the road and land overturned on a concrete embankment. Some school officials told reporters that the recent tragedy immediately reminded them of the previous accident.
ACU, located about 200 miles west of Dallas, has about 4,700 students.
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Photo provided by The Optimist of ACU.