Seven Victims Identified After Fatal Fiery Wreck on Florida Interstate

Chris Jasurek
By Chris Jasurek
January 6, 2019US News
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Authorities have released the names of the victims of a multi-vehicle collision on a Florida highway, with five children among the seven dead.

Two truck drivers and five adolescents were involved in the tragic Jan. 3 accident while traveling to Disney World on a church-sponsored trip. The victims were killed when a semi-trailer swerved into a car, then smashed through the center barrier to slam into the van carrying the children.

The children were members of the Avoyelles House of Mercy congregation in Marksville, Louisiana. An unnamed church volunteer was cited by Fox8 as saying the congregation lost “half of our babies” in the crash.

I am asking everyone to please keep the Marksville United Pentecostal Church in your prayers-pastor: Bro. Eric Descant!…

Alex Madrigal 发布于 2019年1月4日周五

The Florida Highway Patrol identified the children as Joel Cloud and Jeremiah Warren, both 14; Cara Descant, 13; Brieana Descant, 10; and Cierra Bordelan, 9.

The two truck drivers were also killed: Douglas Bolkema, 49, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Steve Holland, 59, of West Palm Beach, Florida.

The other four children and two of the three adults who were on the van were seriously injured, as was the driver of the car. One of the injured women was pregnant.

this fiery crash claimed seven lives
A remote traffic camera captured this image of the fiery crash which claimed seven lives in North Florida. (Alachua County Fire Rescue/Florida 511 via AP)

The injured parties have been identified as Amy Joffiron, 45, of Mansura, Louisiana, who was driving the church van; Karen Descant, 50, wife of the church pastor; Ali Laborde, 30, Noah Joffiron, 14, and Chelsea Laborde, 11, of Marksville; Trinity Woodward, 9, and Chance Bernard, 9, of Hessmer, Louisiana; and Robyn Rattray, 41, of Gainesville, who was driving the car which was the first vehicle hit.

A statement on the United Pentecostal Church website reported on the welfare of some of the injured parties.

“Sister Karen Descant has seven broken ribs, a broken collarbone, multiple bruises, cuts, etc. Pastor Descant’s words were, ‘She is pretty banged up. One of the ladies was pregnant, but we are told the baby is going to be all right. She too is pretty banged up.’

“The other lady is not as severely injured, but is still in the hospital. The four children all have injuries, but the medical staff feel that all of them will heal and recover.”

Interstate 75 is shut down after a wreck with multiple fatalities
Interstate 75 is shut down both directions after a wreck with multiple fatalities on Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019. (Lauren Bacho/The Gainesville Sun via AP)

Trucker Lost Control

Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the accident which occurred around 3:30 p.m. on Jan 3. on a straight, flat section of Interstate 75 near Gainesville.

Fox News reported that the semi-trailer driven by Steve Holland was heading north in the far right lane when it suddenly swerved to the left and collided with the car driven by Robyn Rattray.

Both vehicles smashed through the guardrails dividing the north- and southbound sides of the Interstate. Holland truck then rammed the van driven by Amy Joffrion, causing it to flip several times.

Several of the children were thrown out of the van and onto the highway, where another car ran over at least one of them.

Holland’s truck then struck the semi-trailer driven by Douglas Bolkema.

Both trucks and Rattray’s car burst into flames.

Workers labor into the night to clear the wreckage
Workers labor into the night to clear the wreckage of the fiery multi-car crash which killed seven people. (Lauren Bacho/The Gainesville Sun via AP)

Steve Holland has a history of traffic violations. Fox reported that he had received numerous citations between 2000 and 2014 in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Virginia for violations such as speeding, driving an unsafe vehicle, driving an overloaded vehicle and not carrying proof of insurance.

Douglas Bolkema had been cited once in 1997 for following too closely.

A worker looks at a charred semi-truck after a wreck with multiple fatalities
A worker looks at a charred semi-truck after a wreck with multiple fatalities on Interstate 75, south of Alachua, near Gainesville, Fa., Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019. (Lauren Bacho/The Gainesville Sun via AP)

Tragedy for a Small Town

Marksville Mayor John Lemoine told the Gainesville Sun that the crash had caused turmoil throughout the tight-knit community around the church.

“We are a small community with 6,500 people in town, and most everybody knows everybody else. It’s affected everybody. That is what’s so terrible about this,” Lemoine said.

“You have a horrible accident with kids going to Disney to enjoy themselves and this happens. It’s just beyond belief. It just hasn’t set in yet, to just finish the Christmas holidays and have a new year start off with such tragedy.”

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