By ELLEN KOLMAN - Staff Writer - ekolman@starbeacon.com
The 20-year-old son of a Geneva pastor was killed early Thursday morning as a result of a van rollover crash near Baker City, Ore.
Joshua Pishcura, 20, died upon arrival at St. Elizabeth Health Services hospital in Baker City. Pishcura’s name was confirmed by a victim’s advocate who was fielding calls for the New Life Worship Center.
Pishcura was the son of Harry Pishcura, pastor of New Life Assembly of God Church, 1961 La Fever Road, Geneva. Pishcura’s 18-year-old daughter, Katie, was also injured in the crash.
The Oregon State Police, with the assistance of local police and emergency responders, are continuing the investigation of the single-vehicle rollover crash on Interstate 84, about five miles west of Baker City, that resulted in the death of Pischura and injuries to 15 others, according to a press release from the OSP.
The van is reportedly registered to New Life Worship Center in Federal Heights, Colo. and is affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Masters Commission.
The 9-female and 7-male van occupants are described as between the ages of 18 – 26, according to the OSP press release.
The 2002 Ford van was westbound on icy highway conditions, it drove off the roadway and rolled multiple times, coming to rest on its top near the center median. Fourteen of the 16 occupants were ejected from the van. The female driver was using safety restraints and received non-life threatening injuries, according to the press release.
The remaining 15 passengers were transported to area hospitals for treatment of injuries, four of which were later flown by air ambulance to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho, with critical injuries, according to the press release.
The group was enroute to Portland, Oregon for a conference to raise funds for the commission's mentoring program.
Christy Gimer, spokesman for the New Life Worship Center, said about a third of the people in the van were from the Denver area. Others were from Florida and Utah, and one woman was from Iraq.
She declined to provide names or conditions of any of the survivors. But she said a prayer vigil was scheduled at the church Thursday night and a fund was set up at a local bank to help the families.
Gimer said the group was on its way to a conference in Portland to earn money working as ushers and doing other tasks.
She described the New Life Worship Center as a church facility where students live in dorms, take classes and earn their minister’s license. She said 10 students stayed behind and didn’t make the trip to Oregon. Grief counselors were being provided to those students.
“People here are devastated,” Gimer said. “They are gathering in the church for prayers. We are going to keep the church open throughout the evening for them.”
The accident occurred at about 5:20 a.m. when the 2002 Ford van encountered icy conditions on the freeway that links Oregon to Idaho.
The female driver was wearing a seat belt and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. But 14 of the 16 people aboard were ejected, troopers said.
State police said four passengers who suffered critical injuries were flown to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho. Amy Dunkak, spokeswoman for St. Elizabeth Health Services, said one other passenger was also taken to Boise for treatment.
The Rev. John Privett of the Baker City Church of the Nazarene said he was putting up seven of the survivors in his home, and that local people had donated food, medicine and clothing.
“They are all pretty shook up,” Privett said of the survivors. “These guys are grieving and cried all day.
“There are broken legs and bones, backs, ankles, elbows,” he added.
Associated Press contributed to this story.
