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Victims Honored At Church After Van Crash

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Nov 13, 2009 6:00 pm US/Mountain

Victims Honored At Church After Van Crash

Reporting
Shaun Boyd
PORTLAND, Ore. (CBS4/AP) ― Oregon State Police continue to investigate a deadly crash on Thursday that killed two passengers, one from Colorado, in a van belonging to a church group in Federal Heights.

The van from New Life Worship Center was driving from Colorado to Portland, Oregon to raise money for their ministry with 15 passengers and a driver on board, when it hit icy conditions Thursday morning.

The passenger van crashed near Baker City on Interstate 84 about 5:20 a.m. Thursday. Police said the 2002 Ford van hit black ice, went off the road and rolled multiple times coming to rest on its top near a frontage road.

Pastor Bo Sosa prayed for the 16 young parishioners and traveled all night to reach them. "They cried. I cried, just holding on to them loving every one of them and then we prayed together and I just said we're going to make it guys," said Sosa.

Thirteen of the 16 passengers were ejected from the van. Only the driver, Nicole Elaine Byrd, was wearing a seatbelt.  Byrd, 25, was transported to St. Elizabeth Health Services hospital in Baker City with non-life threatening injuries.

Passenger Joshua John Pischura, 20, from Geneva, Ohio was transported to St. Elizabeth Health Services hospital and died. A second passenger, Taune Nicole Winter Pepper, 23, from Deer Trail, Colo., died Thursday afternoon after she was flown by air ambulance to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise.

"Josh was a very talented young man. His daddy is a pastor and I know in his heart he desired to be a pastor," said Pastor Sosa. "Taune, her special gift was just to love people. She loves people, she loves caring for people, so she had a special gift."

Two survivors remain hospitalized in critical condition, other suffered injuries ranging from broken bones to deep cuts.

The passengers who survived the crash are Aaron Stearling Werntz, 19, from Freeport , Ill.; Christine Sandra Aki, 18, from Golden; Philip Joel Harris, 24, from Attalla, Ala.; Katherine Elizabeth Darlene Pischura, 18, Geneva, Ohio; William Chris Rodgers, 22, Lakewood; Lavan Ahmad Sayed, 24, Louisville; Ashley Wenk, 18 (residence not available); Sarah Beth DeVries, 18, Golden; Marketa Larie Smith, 26, (residence not available); Brett James Iserman, 20, Dakota, Ill.; Katherine Elizabeth Coppock, 19, from Cave Creek, Ariz.; Christian Wence, 19, from Ault; Javaar Zakori Howard, 18, from Denver.

The group was part of a mentoring segment of the church. They were traveling to Portland for a conference to raise money for their ministry.


(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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