Arkansas Church Asks for Prayers for Pastor, Wife Who Lost Daughters in Train Collision

An Arkansas pastor has been discharged from the hospital after a train slammed into his pickup truck injuring him, his son, and killing his two daughters. Now his church is asking the community to lift his family in prayer as they face the "hardest days" ahead.

Pastor Chad Fryar of CrossRoads Cowboy Church in El Paso, AR was crossing a set of railroad tracks in his pickup truck last Thursday afternoon when a Union Pacific train struck the passenger side of the vehicle. 

The car became lodged against the front of the train and was pushed 2,400 feet down the tracks before the train came to a stop, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reports.

Fryar's daughters Marlee Jo and Dana Kate were killed, the church announced in a Facebook post. 
 

"Please continue to pray for their healing," it read. "Please pray for Rachel as she navigates this loss and ministers to her son and husband."

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," the post continued. "We know this solid foundation will help them navigate this difficult time."

Chad and his son, Bo Henry, were airlifted after the accident and treated for critical injuries. 

The church announced Monday that Chad was released from the hospital. 

"Chad was discharged yesterday from the hospital, and is with Rachel and Bo Henry," reads the post. "They are recovering and getting better every day. The hardest days may still be the ones to come, so please continue to keep them in your prayers."

Pastor Ron Riddle of CrossRoads Cowboy Church in El Paso told KTHV the Fryars are like family to him. 

"They're just a good, honest, loving family," Riddle said. "They are just the kind of friends and church family you want to have."

"[They] just became a part of my personal family, and we just love the Fryars so very much," he added. "They came the very first Sunday and never left."

The Sunday before the accident Chad preached a message about eternity and the importance of having a relationship with Jesus Christ.

"It's just like our lives...we feel like we are here forever, but really we are only here for a blinking of an eye," he said.  

"Life has no guarantees," Riddle added. "God gives us life one second at a time without ever promising us that another second is coming."

Please continue to pray for the Fryar family.

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