WAFB Channel 9, Baton Rouge, LA |Train kills pastor and wife
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LE MOYEN, LA (WAFB) - A St. Landry Parish pastor and his wife died after authorities said a train slammed into their car Sunday morning.
Pastor Fanley Thomas and his wife, Florence, were killed at a railroad crossing in the town of Le Moyen, which is located in the northern part of the parish.
According to sheriff's deputies, the train hit the car on the passenger side, causing it to burst into flames.
They said the car was pushed more than 200 feet from the crash site, stopping right next to the St. John Baptist Church's cemetery.
Family and friends said the death was ironic because the pastor only just warned his community about the dangers of having a train crossing with no warning lights.
"If you didn't meet this fellow, you missed a gem because he was one of the greatest people to walk the face of this earth," said Raymon Whitehurst, Thomas's brother-in-law.
Mass was canceled at the church Sunday. Instead, members gathered across the street to watch sheriff's officials clean up the crash.
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