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3 Congregants Of Brooklyn Church Killed In Upstate NY Van Crash

WAWARSING, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- State police say three congregants of a Brooklyn church were killed Sunday morning as the van they were riding in collided with a tractor-trailer in Ulster County, New York.

Around 10:30 a.m. the van carrying seven people with the Bethesda French Seventh-Day Adventist Church collided with the tractor-trailer as it attempted to enter Route 209 from Nevele Drive in Wawarsing, 1010 WINS reported.

Three passengers were killed, and the driver and one passenger were airlifted to Westchester Medical Center for treatment. The remaining two passengers and the truck driver suffered minor injuries and were taken to Ellenville Hospital for treatment, police said.

The occupants of the van had been attending a religious retreat at the Honors Haven Resort in Ellenville, police said.

3 Congregants Of Brooklyn Church Killed In Upstate NY Van Crash

Ario Regis was sitting in the front passenger seat working the GPS when the crash happened, 1010 WINS' Gary Baumgarten reported.

"I was trying to put the address in the map so we could drive back and then my head was down, when I looked up the car got hit," he said.

Other than that, Regis said he has no memory of the crash, Baumgarten reported.

Regis said he was treated at a hospital and released, but others were not as lucky.

"The guys were in terrible condition, but as far as me, I'm fine," he said. "I don't know if you've ever seen a dead person alive, you're looking at one. I'm a dead person walking."

But even with this tragedy, Regis said his faith is unshaken.

"We live to serve God. If we're not serving God, we're nothing," he said. "Find a way to serve God."

Authorities have not identified the three victims.

Police said the accident remains under investigation.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

 

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