DEEP RUN – A local resident on a mission trip in Idaho was involved in a dangerous collision Tuesday, which left his passenger on life support.
According to the Idaho State Police, John Floyd, 20, was driving a Chevrolet Cruze around 5:55 p.m. when the car went past a stop sign and was struck on the passenger side by a Ford F-350. Floyd and his passenger, Taylor Shane Ward, 19, were on their two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Floyd is nearly halfway through his mission service, while Ward began his in July.
It’s believed heavy rain moving through the area played a role in the wreck.
Ward, a Vacaville, Calif., resident, was in critical condition but not expected to live as of Thursday morning, according to Pocatello NBC affiliate KPVI-TV. Floyd was treated and released from Bingham Memorial Hospital Wednesday.
The driver of the pickup – Joshua Morris, 23, of Blackfoot, Idaho – was treated at the scene.
“We’re all heartbroken. I’m grateful that he’s alive, but I’m heartbroken for the Ward family,” said Marietta Floyd, mother of John and a teacher at South Lenoir High School. “I’ve never cried so much.”
She said John’s staying in Idaho, and while she wanted to travel to be with him, he advised it would be best if she stayed in North Carolina.
She is praying and asks others to pray for all involved.
“It’s affected not only us – it’s affected our whole community,” Marietta Floyd said. “There’s been an outpouring of love for us, but it’s just been unreal.”
The deaths of several young missionaries worldwide prompted David Evans, executive director of the LDS Church’s Missionary Department, to issue a statement Wednesday afternoon. He noted there are 77,000 LDS missionaries currently, 70,000 of which are young missionaries – a 38 percent increase from 2012.
“For the church and particularly for the families of these missionaries who have lost their lives, we know that the loss of even one missionary is far too many,” Evans said. “To these remarkable families, we extend our love, our faith, our hope and our prayers. And we pray that peace and comfort will be yours during these times of sorrow.”
Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.