No children were injured late Thursday afternoon when a driver lost control of his car and plowed through the playground at First Baptist Church.
Columbia police report that Fred Holmes Jr., 62, of Columbia was driving on High School Avenue near Ford Street when his vehicle veered through a fence and onto the playground.
“He was coughing and lost control of the vehicle,” Capt. Johnny Barnes said. “The car went through the playground and through another fence before coming to a rest. Luckily, the kids were not near the vehicle.”
Barnes said Holmes was taken to Marion General Hospital by AAA Ambulance Service to be checked. Police also did a blood draw as a precaution but believe the incident was triggered by a medical emergency.
The story was shared on First Baptist’s Facebook page and church members and readers said it was a miracle that there were no injuries during the incident.
“The driver missed three trees by inches that could have killed him, which is a miracle,” the Facebook post read. “But even before lunch, God has been in control of this situation. The plumbing was stopped up at the church and everyone – office staff and daycare – was told to use the restrooms at the gym. At the time of the accident, every class should have been on the playground, yet they weren’t because they were using the restroom at the gym. After the accident, the plumber showed up to unstop the lines. They ran the water at least 20 minutes trying to find where the line was stopped up at and, here’s the thing – it wasn’t.”
The Facebook post went on to finish the story, which according to CPD officers, is a miracle of sorts.
“Had we not had plumbing issues in the morning and been waiting on the plumber, many more children would have been outside and in harm’s way,” the post read. “We serve a big God who watches over us all day long – even before something terrible happens. Thank you, Lord for watching over our children and teachers today.”
Holmes was treated and released and was uninjured, according to Barnes. The fence at First Baptist Church was repaired on Friday. n
