By Blake Deshazo
The Selma Times-Journal

A Selma woman was killed Sunday afternoon after the church van she was riding in was involved in a three-car accident just south of Safford.

According to Senior Trooper Reginal King, the crash happened at 1 p.m. on Alabama Highway 5 near mile marker 32.

The woman, 69-year-old Ora Dee Whitt, was pronounced dead after she was transported to Vaughan Regional Medical Center and six others that were in the van were injured.

According to the Rev. B.T. Booker Jr., pastor of Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church, Whitt was a long-time member of the church and a dedicated minister.

“It’s very tragic,” Booker said. “We’re all devastated.”

Booker said Whitt was with six other ministers on their way to another church.

“We were all on our way to church about for our five miles east of Alberta,” Booker said. “We were going down to Pine Grove Church.”

According to King, the van collided with a 2009 Chevrolet Silverado and a 2012 Silverado was also involved after the initial collision.

Booker said Whitt has been a member of the church since the early 1960s.

“She was an associate minister,” Booker said. “She wasn’t as active as she once was … but she still was there supporting the church and the ministry.”

Booker said losing Whitt is a big loss for the church and she will be greatly missed.

“She was a great influence, and she was very supportive of the church and to the pastor,” Booker said. “We’re very saddened and we’re try to put the pieces together by the faith and the help of God. We have a great loss.”

Whitt’s family, including her late husband and her late son were also ministers in the church, according to Booker.

“She was very well grounded in the church,” Booker said.

No other details on the accident were released.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said it is still investigating the wreck.