One of our local FFA Chapters a few counties away has been struck by an unimaginable accident.
Yesterday evening the Quitman FFA show team was on their way to the San Antonio Livestock show when their suburban ran off the road. When the driver tried to get back on the road she over-corrected which caused the Suburban the students were riding in to roll several times, ejecting a student who was killed, and seriously injuring the other six passengers.
It breaks our hearts, as we are a family who has been actively involved in FFA in some fashion for the last 33 years. We know how hard these kids worked to get their projects together to go to a major show, and how excited they must have all been. We know how hard their teacher worked and was probably super excited to get to carry them down to the show. Their young friend who lost her life will leave a void in all of their lives and their lives will all be changed in ways they could have never imagined. :( This is a very small close knit community and this loss will have of course leave a giant hole on their campus.
Their teacher is going to need lots of prayers because she was doing what almost all small schools do, letting them ride in her suburban instead of a school bus, which will be met with lots of criticism. Bless her heart.
Please keep them in your prayers.
Quitman Tx FFA, you are in our thoughts and prayers, sincerely,
The Dison's
The Jacksonville, Tx FFA
and the
Plano, Tx FFA
Correction: The driver and her daughter were not injured. The two boys and one girl have cuts and bruises and were treated and released. The other girl who was ejected is almost out of ICU and will not have surgery nor any casts. She is expected to fully recover from her injuries and is improving exceptionally well.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for all the prayers that have gone up on their behalf. The mother of the deceased girl has said she knows her baby is in Heaven with Jesus. She says this is all in God's plan and something good will come out of it for some of the other students. How true it is.
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ReplyDelete*I realized I had a typographical error*, so I had to delete it and repost it with the correction!!
ReplyDeleteHi Bob,
Thanks for reading my blog! All I could go by is what was being reported on our local news media, KLTV Channel 7! It is a tragedy either way for sure, and I am sure glad to hear that they are all recovering. I know that the parents of the young girl who lost her life are devastated, how good to know that they know shew as being called home and that for sure some good will come for the others! I have posted what is being said on the KLTV website, which is where I was getting my information from!
CANTON, TX (KLTV) - The Quitman ISD Interim-Superintendent Rick Flanagan confirms that a vehicle on a school trip was involved in an accident near Canton, around 2:40 p.m. on Thursday.
The students were high school FFA students heading to San Antonio.
The Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace office confirms that there is a fatality. Quitman High School confirms that the fatality is 15-year-old student Skylar Carpenter.
Trinity Mother Frances Health System says they were told that there are 6 injuries related to the wreck. Three are going to Mother Frances, 2 by air, 1 by ground.
According to AP, Trooper Jean Dark of the Texas Department of Public Safety says the teacher driving her personal vehicle apparently overcorrected when a front wheel slipped off the pavement and veered across and off the road. The SUV flipped, ejecting the 15-year-old girl.
Mother Frances reports that one 15-year-old female is in fair condition. A 17-year-old female and an 18-year-old male who were admitted at the time of the accident, have since been released.
If you would like to offer condolences to the Carpenter family, or anyone involved in the crash, Visit the Condolences page and leave your comments on the bottom of the page
By the way Bob, you are so very welcome by the way, I have asked for prayers from both my friends here on the blog and my friends on Facebook!! We truly want peace and comfort sent to those who are grieving!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the prayers. Debra is doing good. She and Brandi don't have a scratch. Prayers have been felt. We have a house full of kids who came over after the funeral. About 500 attended. I wish you could've been here for it.
ReplyDeleteThe parents of the girl who died have been so gracious and comforted us. They told Debra they do not hold her responsible and do not want her to feel bad. The mother spoke at the funeral and told everyone that this was God's plan. She said He chose a very strong woman to help get her daughter to heaven. Her and her husband are very strong Christians and really have their head on straight.
Mrs. Carpenter is assistant principal at high school. She said at the funeral that she could tell the students today what she can't tell them at school. She told them about Jesus and God's plan. Debra said afterwards that even a well planned revival wouldn't have reached as many kids.
The other girl who came out as the car rolled about 3 1/2 times is expected to fully recover without surgery or any casts. The two boys and one girl have cuts and were treated and released that day. The 2 girls that were ejected were not wearing their seat belts at the time.
Thanks again for all the prayers.
Oh, BTW... Debra is my wife, Brandi is one of our daughters. Community support has been awesome. Don't ask God "why" ask him "what's next"?
ReplyDeleteBob it has truly been an honor to have you have stopped by to visit my blog and share your family's story with us!! Please tell your wife and daughter they will be in our prayers still.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to fill in those who stop by and read this blog, who Bob is, and why I love the FFA so much! Bob is the husband of the Quitman FFA Ag teacher. We will most certainly keep him, his dear family, and their ag chapter in our prayers.
ReplyDeleteI was in the FFA at Plano Senior High in the early 1980's. We had a very similar tragedy just after I graduated from high school. We lost I think four of our FFA students on the way home from a Livestock show. This accident hit very close to home for me. My husband was also in FFA in High School and served as an officer etc...both of our girls who are now in their early twenties were in both 4H and FFA all through High School and served as officers and competed quite a bit. I raised two steers in high school, one was named Twinkie, and the other Willie! My husband raised heifers and steers. Our girls have raised chickens, pigs, heifers, and worked on metal projects!
The FFA is like a family, you learn discipline and leadership, how to take care of living things and be responsible for yourself and those around you! When a tragedy hits anyone in the FFA, it affects us all, and we will always be the for one another!!
With continued prayers for this chapter,
Carol