Colusa County, California (October 14, 2019) – Father Joseph Parekkatt has been identified as the passenger who was severely injured in a tragic car accident that claimed the life of a Concord pastor and a visiting archbishop last week Thursday in Colusa County.
According to a local news report, the deadly collision occurred on Highway 20, near the town of Wilbur Springs at about 2:20 p.m. October 10.
A Toyota Prius occupied by the three clergymen had been traveling westbound on Highway 16 when it pulled in front of a big rig. The Prius was then broadsided by the truck.
Father Mathew Vellankal, a pastor at St. Bonaventure in Concord, was killed in the collision. Also killed in the crash was Archbishop Dominic Jala, who was visiting from Shillong, India.
Father Joseph Parekkatt, a pastor at St. Anne Parish in Walnut Creek, was seriously injured in the crash and was taken to Santa Rosa Hospital in Oakland for treatment.
The condition of the truck driver was not immediately disclosed.
No further information was provided.
An investigation to determine the cause of the accident is ongoing.