Five Children and Two Adults Die in Florida Crash After Louisiana Church Van Headed to Disney World Is Hit Near Gainesville

GAINESVILLE, FL — A Louisiana church van headed to Disney World was caught in a fiery multivehicle crash on Interstate 75 Thursday near Gainesville, killing five children and two adults. The van carried members of United Pentecostal Church in Marksville, Louisiana, and was one of several vehicles involved in the wreck, according to the Florida Highway Patrol and church officials.

Authorities said the dead also included two men driving separate semi-trucks involved in the collision. Officials identified them as Douglas Bolkema, 49, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Steve Holland, 59, of West Palm Beach, Florida.

In all, nine children and three women, including a pregnant woman, were in the van. Church leaders said the four surviving children were injured but are expected to recover.

How the Interstate 75 crash unfolded

Florida Highway Patrol said the chain reaction began when a northbound semi-truck collided with a northbound passenger car. Both vehicles then went through the guardrail and into the center median before ending up in the southbound lanes.

At that point, a southbound passenger van and another semi-truck were in the path of the wreckage. The semi-truck that crossed over then collided with the van and the southbound truck, officials said. The van flipped, and some people were thrown from it.

Police and fire crews were called to a scene that quickly turned chaotic. The crash involved a fire and a spill of about 50 gallons of diesel fuel, according to Alachua County Fire Rescue.

Children, adults and drivers among the dead

The church said one of the children who died was the granddaughter of a pastor. Kevin Cox, Louisiana District Superintendent for the United Pentecostal Church, said the group included nine children and three women traveling together.

Officials said the pregnant woman survived and her condition was stabilized. Church leaders first said the baby had been delivered successfully, but later updated that statement on Friday.

Cox said the four children who lived through the crash were injured but should recover. Officials said six to eight people were hurt in the collision overall, though the exact number remained fluid as the response unfolded.

Firefighters battled flames after diesel spilled on the roadway

Alachua County Fire Rescue said the crash ignited both semi-trucks, adding fuel to an already severe scene. The agency said the diesel spill covered the roadway after the collision.

Witnesses described seeing smoke and then hearing a sudden blast. Mandi Lamonda, who was driving north at the time, said she first noticed white smoke on the south side of the interstate before hearing what she described as a big boom and then seeing heavy black smoke rise.

The fire and the number of vehicles involved made rescue work especially difficult. Officials have described the deaths as traffic homicides, reflecting the criminal classification used in fatal roadway investigations in Florida.

Church leaders and Disney World express grief

United Pentecostal Church leaders asked people to pray for the injured and for the church family shaken by the loss. Cox said the congregation had been “massively affected” by the tragedy and called for prayers for healing.

Walt Disney World Resort also issued a statement expressing sorrow for those involved and condolences to the families affected. The group had been on its way to the resort when the crash happened, turning what was supposed to be a family trip into a deadly emergency.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said his heart went out to the church members and asked others to join him in prayer for the families facing the days ahead.

Federal investigation status remains uncertain during shutdown

It was not immediately clear whether the National Transportation Safety Board would send investigators to the scene. Florida Highway Patrol said it has shared information about the crash with the agency, but no federal investigators were involved in the probe as of Friday.

The uncertainty comes as most NTSB employees are furloughed during the partial government shutdown. Before the shutdown, the agency said existing investigations would pause and new ones would not begin until funding resumed, except in especially severe crashes that pose a substantial danger to the traveling public if not examined quickly.

For now, the Florida Highway Patrol is leading the investigation into the crash that left seven people dead and several others injured on a Florida interstate.