Parishioners were arriving at the St. Edward's Catholic on Church Spring Stuebner, about a mile west of Interstate 45, to attend a wake for their pastor, Father Joe Geitle, when one of them pulled in and collided with a landscaping truck.
"I just remember seeing that car go flying through the air and landing in the pond," parishioner Mary Ellen Streidl said.
While some offered prayers, others did not hesitate and literally reached out into the water.
"A guy came down the bank, took his coat off, took his shoes off, and ran to the car," Streidl said.
Firefighters say a 91-year-old man arriving for the wake was in his car submerged in the water. Six landscape workers from the truck were injured.
"It was really chaotic. There's a lot of construction in the area. It was difficult to access the scene just due to traffic, the time of day, the rush-hour traffic. There were a lot of bystanders," Spring Fire Department District Chief Shannon Stryk said.
"They didn't hesitate -- they dressed in suits and shirts and ties, and they were right in the water with him. So that shows you, that when you have that love and bond, it doesn't matter who you are, you're still a parishioner and you're God's child," parishioner Belinda Tauriac said.
Seven people were transported to area hospitals. At this point, we don't know their conditions.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office is investigating the accident.
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