BINGHAM COUNTY, Idaho — A missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints died Friday after a car accident, according to a LDS Church spokeswoman.
Elder Taylor Ward, 19, of Vacaville, Calif. sustained critical injuries in a car accident on State Highway 39 near Rockford, Idaho. Officers said the accident happened just before 6 p.m. Tuesday.
According to police, Ward was riding in the front passenger side of a car driven by his companion, Elder John Floyd, 20, from Deep Run, N.C.
Floyd reportedly failed to yield at a stop sign at the intersection of Highway 39 and 100 South in Bingham County. The car was then struck on the passenger side by a truck driven by Joshua Morris, 23, heading southbound.
Floyd was taken to Bingham Memorial Hospital with minor injuries, and was released Wednesday morning. Morris was not seriously injured. Ward was taken to Portneuf Medical Center.
Following the accident, LDS Church spokeswoman Ruth Todd said Ward was not expected to live.
“Every member of the Church feels the loss of a missionary,” Todd said. “We are deeply saddened, and share with his family, friends and fellow missionaries in their grief. We extend to them our love, our prayers and our deepest sympathy.”
Officers said everyone involved in the crash was wearing their seat belts.
