A Minnesota Family Died in a Car Crash on Their Way to Missionary Training

A family of five from Minneapolis was killed in a car accident while on their way to Colorado for a training session to become missionaries.

Jamison and Kathryne Pals, both 29, were driving through Nebraska on Sunday when a semitrailer truck rear-ended their minivan, the Star Tribune reports. The couple and their three young children—Ezra, 3, Violet 23 months, and Calvin, 2 months—all died in the crash.

Both vehicles burst into flames, and the force of the truck’s impact sent the van into three other westbound vehicles. The truck driver was booked on five felony counts of vehicular homicide.

The Pals family was driving to Colorado to complete their final round of training before relocating to Japan to work as Christian missionaries. They blogged about preparations for the move at joyofjapan.org, discussing why they chose Japan, posting updates on their children and outlining their individual spiritual journeys.

[Star Tribune]