Pastors split on when to go home; one lives, one dies in I-75 tragedy
GAINESVILLE -- Senior pastor Arao Amazonas said he wanted to wait until the next morning to leave Florida after a religious conference. But pastor Jose Carmo Jr. wanted to be back in time for the suburban Atlanta church's Sunday morning service and led two vans up Interstate 75 toward Georgia.
A few hours later, Amazonas received a call: Both vans had crashed in the highway's fog- and smoke-shrouded darkness near Gainesville. Carmo, his wife and their daughter were among five church members killed in two deadly pileups along the always busy six-lane interstate.
"We couldn't have imagined such tragedy would come to us," said Amazonas, senior pastor at the Igreja Internacional de Restaurcao, or International Church of the Restoration.
Ten people were killed in a horrific series of crashes near Gainesville late Saturday and early Sunday. At least a dozen passenger vehicles, seven semi-trucks and a motorhome were involved.
All five of the church members who died were traveling in a 2012 Dodge Caravan. Killed were driver Edson Carmo, 38; Roselia DeSilva, 41; Jose Carmo Jr., 43; Adrianna Carmo, 39; and Leticia Carmo, 17; all of Kennesaw, Ga. Jose and Adriana Carmo were married and Leticia was their daughter, said Amazonas, the senior pastor at their church. The van's sixth occupant, the couple's younger daughter, Lidiane, 15, survived the crash, Amazonas said. A hospital spokeswoman said Tuesday morning she was listed in critical condition.
The Carmos were in one van and other church members were in a second van. The passengers of that van called Amazonas after the accident to tell him what happened, he said.
About 100 people gathered Monday evening at the suburban Atlanta church, which caters to the local Brazilian community, to mourn the deaths of their fellow church members. People at the gathering wailed and wept as Amazonas addressed them in Portuguese.
The Florida Forest Service said Monday it still had not determined if the brush fire that caused the smoke was intentionally set or accidental, although lightning has been ruled out.
