From CBS 42 reports
WARRIOR, Ala.–A Blount County church sustained significant damage after a car allegedly ran off a road and hit its building Sunday morning, according to reporting from Isaac Goffin and Scott Minshall of CBS 42.
Johan Castillo, 20, of Birmingham, was injured when the BMW he was driving left the roadway, struck a sign and multiple embankments. The BMW then overturned and struck the church around 6:03 a.m. Both the church and BMW then caught fire.
“A car left the road, tumbled a couple of times and then went into the front part of our church building,” remarked Scott Crawford, the Minister of the Rock Creek Church of Christ.
According to Rock Creek Church of Christ, the building is a total loss. The church on Mill Creek Road is asking for those who were planning to worship there Sunday to find another congregation until more concrete plans are made.
“There still might be some salvageable material, but I’m sure the water damage is going to be extensive,” added Crawford.
The driver of the vehicle, Castillo, was taken to a local hospital where he received treatment. The Blount County sheriff’s office say they believe alcohol is a factor in the crash.
Just hours after the church burnt, Pastor Larry Bolling, whose church is nearby, offered the Rock Creek congregation space to continue worship.
“We have been through tragedies like this, we have been through Hurricane Katrina, we have understood that lived in that moment, but god did not leave us or forsake us, he sent people, like me and you, to come alongside us to help us through that moment,” said Bolling.
According to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency the investigation into the crash is ongoing.
