Pastor and Three Sons Killed in Multi-Vehicle Accident

Four individuals lost their lives in a three-vehicle accident along Texas State Highway 315 at around 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, May 21.

According to Pastor Jeff Fugate of Clays Mill Road Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky, the victims were Israel Avelar, and his sons Kevin, 17; Daniel, 14; and Matthew, six. Avelar’s wife, Hilda, and their 11-year-old daughter, Kimberly, sustained critical injuries in the accident. The family was in Texas for the father’s graduation. He received a degree in pastoral theology from Instituto Biblico Bautista Libertad, which is associated with Iglesia Bautista Libertad in Houston.

The family was on the way back home to Lexington from Houston when a vehicle hit them from behind, forcing them into the path of an oncoming tractor-trailer from the other lane. Fugate said the family had been attending Clays Mill Road Baptist Church for around 15 years and that Avelar had just begun a new church on Leestown Road.

The deepest thoughts and condolences of the attorneys at Wilson & McQueen, PLLC are with the family during this tragic time.