Church Members Celebrate ‘Miracle’ of Crash Survival

There was much to be thankful for Sunday as members of the Coast Hills Community Church gathered to celebrate a miracle: 28 teen-age girls and three adult counselors on their way to a church-sponsored “Wild Winter Weekend” retreat survived after their chartered bus ran off the side of a winding mountain highway.

About 500 church members, including some injured teens and their parents, crowded the auditorium at Dana Hills High School, where the congregation meets while their sanctuary is under construction, for an emotionally charged service marked with poignant songs of praise and spiritual readings.

With tears streaming down many faces, a 10-person ensemble sang:

All through the day, all through the night.

Dwell in His promises, walk in his light.

Darkness shall flee at his command.

All through the day, we’re in his hands.

The Rev. Dennis Bellesi strayed from his regular text to recap the events of the near fatal accident a mile east of Pinyon Pines.

“There is nothing more important we can do today than to celebrate the good news of what could have been a real tragedy,” Bellesi said.

For those who had not already heard of the Friday afternoon accident, Bellesi provided a synopsis and recounted some of the events with a video presentation and comments from injured teens and their parents.

The video of local newscasts showed dramatic footage of the wrecked bus down the hill and comments from Jeneen Cordova, a 22-year-old counselor who suffered the most severe injuries with a broken collarbone. Others suffered minor to moderate injuries that included skinned knees to broken fingers and wrists. All the children were released from various hospitals Friday night, with the exception of Tracy Rodarmel, who was released Sunday.

“It’s the power of prayer,” Cordova said. “Before we started the trip, we prayed for the buses and the drivers and some of us almost snickered. . . . When we were rolling down, I kept saying God help us, God help us. . . . It was just a miracle.”

Many parents echoed Cordova’s sentiments, and others, still shaken from the weekend crash, expressed gratitude that their children were safe.

Mike Frank, whose daughter Amber was also a victim, urged parents to be more gentle when reprimanding their children.

“Be a little more patient,” Frank suggested, holding his daughter close. “Sometimes, we forget. This weekend was a big reminder for me. Don’t forget to give them an extra hug.”

As for the teens, some are basking in the extra attention from their parents and others are still in a daze.

Autumn Gash, who said she had a premonition of the accident, feels as if the whole thing was a dream.

“I still don’t feel like it really happened,” she said.

Amber Frank remembers being in the helicopter on a stretcher.

“It was kind of boring,” she said. “I didn’t get to see anything.”

Some parents allowed their children to complete the Idyllwild trip Saturday after the accident. The children were scheduled to return Sunday afternoon.

“Jessica is God’s child,” said Linda Peirog, one of the mothers whose daughter completed the trip. “I felt that what God wanted for Jessica was that she needed to go to camp.”

During the service, Bellesi and parents praised Coast Hills staff members for their united efforts during the crisis and a special prayer was said for the driver of the bus. So far, no charges have been filed in the accident. Driver James A. Miller III, 35, of Wilmington told investigators that he was lost and had been looking at his map book when the bus went off the road.

The theme throughout the celebration, as people recounted their activities at the time they heard of the accident, remained the same, that this was indeed a miracle.

“We’re so full of praise,” said Carolee Winrich. “It could have been worse.”