Christian Teen Musician and Family Killed in Car Accident

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: Nov 16, 2016

Christian Teen Musician and Family Killed in Car Accident

A young Christian singer and her family were killed in a car accident while they were returning home from one of her performances.

According to ChristianToday.com, 17-year-old Sophie Rinehart was active in her high school’s marching band. She was an aspiring singer who was on the way back from performing in the Bands of America Grand National Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis when she and her family were in the accident.

Sophie was in the car with her sister Josie, 18, her father David, 46, and her grandmother Ruth, 74. Her father was driving whend he hit a deer. He pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road after the collision where it was hit by a pickup truck driven by 19-year-old Mason Hartkey.

Sophie, her father, and her grandmother all died in the accident. Josie suffered cuts and abrasions and is currently being treated at Indiana University Health Hospital.

Sophie’s band director, Mark Eifler, said the band was “devastated” to hear of her death.

"They are very much a family. I know they're devastated. She didn't meet anybody that wasn't immediately her friend. The kids adored her," Eifler said.

Patrick Garcia, the lead pastor of Crossroads Christian Church where Sophie’s father worked, expressed the church’s grief over the family’s deaths:

"There are no words to describe the pain and shock we all feel," he said. "This is one of those moments in life that is extremely difficult to understand. We can take comfort knowing that David, Sophie, and Ruth Ann are currently experiencing the joy of Jesus' presence for eternity." 

 

Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com

Publication date: November 16, 2016



Christian Teen Musician and Family Killed in Car Accident