MILTON, Del. -- White's Chapel Church Pastor Lee Parks and her family are still devastated after a hit-and-run crash destroyed some centuries-old gravestones in the White's Chapel cemetery.
On the night of Aug. 22, shortly after 9 p.m., a Ford F-450 truck ran off the road and tore through the church cemetery, obliterating gravestones - some nearly 200 years old and possibly irreplaceable - before hitting a utility pole and tree in the Parks' front yard. This is among other damages to the property landscaping and the front porch of Pastor Parks' home.
Pastor Parks and her husband Dave had just returned to their home from a two-week vacation before the crash occurred.
"My heart was pounding," Parks said. "And frightening because you don't know what you're walking out to. You don't know what you're going to find."
Pastor Parks says the driver ran from his truck before she and her husband got outside, but what they witnessed the next morning left them in shock.
"Honestly, that Tuesday morning I shed tears because these are families," Parks said. "Even though those that are in the grave are not there, it's still families that go there when they want to remember their family members."
Now, a little over two weeks later, Parks is trying to put the pieces back together. She is working with an independent cemetery committee to try to identify the headstones and get in contact with families that might have relatives buried in the cemetery.
"We'll fix the ramp," Parks said. "We'll fix the sign. We'll fix the porch. We'll fix the landscaping. But there are some things in the cemetery that won't be able to be fixed."
Pastor Parks and her family are asking for the community's help to identify the gravestones, and for those that do not have a connection to the cemetery, but still want to help, Parks is simply asking for prayers.
White's Chapel members also want to thank Delaware Electric Co-op and Coastal Towing for their help on the night of the incident and beyond, as well as first responders for their help and professionalism.
Anyone that has information regarding those buried at White's Chapel is asked to call Ralph Davis, Cemetery Committee President, at 302-858-3395.
