Local pastor, church members survive bus crash

BOLIVAR, Tenn. — Pastor Joshua Clark said he and 11 members of Parrans Chapel Baptist Church were on the way home Sunday from a conference in Chattanooga.

Clark said while he was driving, it started to storm.

“And so we were just come over the top of the hill, trying to slow down because we knew there was rain coming,” Pastor Clark said. “Storm hits, and that’s what led to the accident.”

Clark said he slammed on the brakes on Interstate 840 south of Nashville, when he said a sudden a gust of wind forced him to hydroplane into a median. The bus then flipped to its side.

“We were lucky that it didn’t flip over and over,” Clark said.

Thankfully, Clark said some of the church members walked away from the accident with just minor injuries.

But he said the accident gave him a reality check.

“Pretty emotional — you go through something like that, you think about dying and stuff like that,” Clark said.

He said his faith saved him and his church members.

“Anyway, we were spared and God watched over us, so we know that we’re here for a purpose. Now we need to keep doing that purpose,” Clark said.