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A car crashed into a Fort Myers Church on Easter Sunday, injuring 21 people.
More than 200 people were attending service at Second Haitian Baptist Church at 3660 Central Avenue just before 8 p.m. when a four-door Lexus came crashing through the wall and into the pews. Several people were trapped under the vehicle.
According to NBC-2.com, Traffic Homicide Investigator Officer Lesa Breneman’s preliminary investigation revealed the female driver — Marie Masson, 31, of Fort Myers — entered the parking lot and reported a brake failure prior to crashing through the church wall.
“At this point the investigation is being treated as a very unfortunate accident rather than a criminal act,” said police spokesman Lieutenant Victor Medico.
“Everybody was sitting and the service started and then ‘BING’ the car came in,” Jean Corjeles, who was in the church when the crash happened, told news-press.com. “So many people are injured.”
NBC-2.com reported this morning that none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening. Some have already been released from the hospital.
Some are calling this a tragedy, and, although it is a very sad, horrible situation, it could have been far worse. It could be viewed as an Easter blessing – a blessing that no one was killed. This comment isn’t meant to belittle the terrible ordeal that the victims, families and congregation are experiencing. It’s merely an attempt to look at the positive side and be thankful that lives were spared.
We sometimes jump to using tragedy and looking at the bad side of things that we don’t always stop and take time to appreciate the positive outcome.
It was not long ago that a crash in a church parking lot in Bradenton ended much differently. A woman ran over and killed 3 people about two months ago. Read more.
We, at Bernardo Injury Law, are sorry for the victims, family and the church but we are thankful everyone survived.