CLARK COUNTY, Ark. – A massive collision at a Clark County railroad crossing Thursday afternoon left two young girls dead and critically injured their father and a third child, according to information from police and the church where the man worked as a pastor.
Chad Fryar, 37, of Malvern, was driving his 2017 Chevy Silverado across the railroad tracks on Richwoods Road near Arkadelphia just before 2 p.m. Thursday when a Union Pacific train smashed into the passenger side of the pickup truck, according to a preliminary fatality report from the Arkansas State Police, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported.
During the collision, the truck became lodged against the front of the locomotive and was pushed about 2,400 feet further down the tracks before the train came to a stop.
Fryar was identified as the pastor at Crossroads Cowboy Church in Bismark, Arkansas. His three children were in the truck with him. His two daughters did not survive the crash. Fryar and his son were airlifted to hospitals in critical condition, KTHV reported.
“We are devastated by yesterday’s tragic events and the loss of Marlee Jo and Dana Kate,” the Crossroads Cowboy Church in El Paso, Arkansas, said in a Facebook post.
The church identified the injured boy as Bo Henry, and said Friday both father and son were recovering, according to the New York Post.
Pastor Ron Riddle of Crossroads Cowboy Church in El Paso told KTHV the family is “the kind of friends and church family you want to have.”
“Life has no guarantees,” Riddle noted. “God gives us life one second at a time without ever promising us that another second is coming.”
Two young daughters of Pastor Chad Fryar were killed after the family’s pickup truck was hit by a train. (Cowboy Church/Facebook)
The El Paso church noted that Fryar and his wife were an “integral part” of the El Paso location before launching the daughter church in Bismarck.
Chad and Rachel were an integral part of CrossRoads Cowboy Church-El Paso. They have been with us from the beginning and we consider them family. They have a solid faith and understanding of God, which was evident when they stepped out in faith to launch the Bismark location. We know this solid foundation will help them navigate this difficult time.
Please join us in praying for Chad, Rachel, Bo Henry, grandparents (Ron, Kathy, Reggie, and Sandy), their extended family and friends, and the Bismark congregation.
They will need our prayers and support even more in the coming days and months.
The Bismark church has been updating congregants on how the family is doing and how they can assist with their needs, as both father and son remain in ICU.
Union Pacific Railroad said no one on the train was injured, KARK reported.
The crash investigation is ongoing and no further details have been released.
