PLANO – Members of Custer Road United Methodist Church filed out of the 9:45 a.m. Sunday service in high spirits, buoyed by a sun-soaked morning and the high school choir's return from an out-of-town tour.
WILLIAM DESHAZER/DMN
Anne Neeley wiped tears from her eyes Sunday at Custer Road United Methodist Church in Plano.
Just minutes later and less than a half-mile away, a black Pontiac ran a red light and slammed into a minivan heading home from the sanctuary, killing Geoff Hart, his wife, Christy, 12-year-old daughter Rebekah and two foster children.
By Sunday evening, hundreds of congregation members returned to reconcile the day's events with tear-stained faces, somber whispers and hugs of consolation.
"I don't why it happened but I do know this – that this morning, this family lived and they died and ... they live now. They live with God," senior minister Dr. Ronald D. Henderson said.
Plano police said the driver of the Pontiac was speeding westbound on Legacy Drive, ran the light at Custer Road, lost control and broadsided the minivan about 10:50 a.m.
Three of the victims died at the scene, where onlookers gathered throughout the day. Two other girls were taken to local hospitals and pronounced dead.
"In my many years of being a police officer – and I've been a traffic investigator since 2001 – this is by far the most devastating crash I've seen," said Plano police spokesman Andrae Smith.
The names of the two foster children were not released Sunday while authorities tried to notify relatives.
Police would not identify the driver of the Pontiac, who remained in critical condition at an area hospital, Officer Smith said.
No one else suffered life-threatening injuries, but two other vehicles were damaged.
Friends remembered the Harts as a family that gave everything of themselves. The husband and wife, both 41 years old and originally from Louisiana, met at Centenary College. They joined the Plano church in 1991 – teaching Sunday school classes, working with the junior high choir and helping with missionary work in Mexico. Christy worked in the church offices.
Geoff, who worked in telecommunications, volunteered as a board member for Juntos Servimos, a non-profit organization in Dallas. It organizes mission trips to Mexican border communities, providing food, health care, education and housing.
"He was a soft-spoken, kind-hearted person that made sure all the decisions that were made were helpful to the people we served in Mexico," said Frank Roby, the organization's board chair.
John Gajdica, a family friend, described the family members as "whole, humble servants" who always helped out with church activities every Sunday night. The family would have returned Sunday night to teach junior high ministry classes.
"They were consistently always where they needed to be," Mr. Gajdica said. "God was ready for them, I guess. He took them all at once."
Rebekah was a student at Rice Middle School in Plano. She was active in theater and in the church.
For her birthday party, friends remembered, she asked kids to make things for the local animal shelter instead of receiving presents.
"They really gave of themselves in every area," said friend Dan McMillan.
Mr. McMillan's family had been friends with the Hart family for years. They said Geoff and Christy got involved in the foster care system two or three years ago. They had cared for the two girls killed in Sunday's crash for weeks.
Plano police, meanwhile, continued their investigation Sunday night.
Speed was a factor in the crash, Officer Smith said. Witnesses told police that the Pontiac was traveling much faster than the posted 40 mph speed limit on Legacy Drive.
Investigators are working to determine how fast the man was traveling.
"At the surface it looks like charges could be filed," Officer Smith said. "We have to look at the totality. We don't know if a medical condition or just a number of other things other than just something criminal made this crash take place."
Police also are investigating whether alcohol or drugs played a role.
"From my understanding, there was nothing definitive at the scene to indicate to us that there was any illegal substance that played a part in this crash," Officer Smith said.
The mangled wreckage shocked passers-by.
Witness Michelle Armour rushed over to help one of the girls. "In the middle of the street, she was just laying there motionless," Ms. Armour told WFAA-TV (Channel 8). "We turned her around and started doing CPR. We were praying over her."
Images from the accident remained on Ms. Armour's mind.
"I keep on seeing the parents, and that child on the ground," she said. "It's like every day is your last. I don't think I'm ever going to forget this day."
"I'll never be the same," said Plano resident Francesca Rose, who lives in an apartment complex across the street from the accident scene. "It just was horrific. It broke my heart to see the mom in her seat ...and her skirt waving in the wind."
Inside the Plano sanctuary on Sunday night, hundreds were left to reaffirm their faith amid tears and anger.
Dr. Henderson said he spoke with the wife and two of the children before they left church Sunday.
"What happened was neither of God nor the devil," he said Sunday night. "It is the result of evil in the world. It is the result of choices people make."
pmeyer@dallasnews.com; malanis@dallasnews.com
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