The LDS Church announced Saturday that four missionaries and one member from the Sierra Leone Freetown Mission were injured in a car accident Wednesday, August 24. (LDS Church)
Four missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are now recovering after recent injuries in a car accident in Sierra Leone, LDS Church spokesperson Eric Hawkins announced on Saturday.
'Each of the people in the mission van received injuries, some quite severe,' Hawkins said. 'Two of the missionaries have been transported by air ambulance to Ghana for more extensive care. Two are recovering in a hospital in Sierra Leone, and one has been released and is recovering well.'
The group of missionaries were traveling together on Aug. 24 in a van with a church member from Sierra Leone when the vehicle was struck by a truck on the highway. The truck driver died. Two missionaries are from Ghana and two are from Utah.
Injured missionary Luke Dunn returned home from the Sierra Leone Freetown mission a week after recovery in a Ghana hospital.
Family members and friends of Dunn have been posting on social media to update those interested about Dunn's condition.
'Luke is back in Salt Lake City. He arrived early this morning,' said David Dunn, Luke's father, on Facebook. 'His transcontinental ambulance flight went very well. ... He is in stable, but fairly heavily sedated, condition.”
According to an earlier Facebook video on David's profile, a CT scan showed the plate on the right side of Luke's head and his cheek bone have been crushed.
'There was intracranial pressure, so that could explain why Luke was unconscious and could also explain why he was running a fever,' David said.
According to Hawkins, two of the missionaries sustained severe injuries and were airlifted to a hospital in Ghana.
The following is the entire statement released by the church.
“On Wednesday, August 24th, four missionaries and one member from the Sierra Leone Freetown Mission in Africa were involved in a serious vehicle accident. Their van was hit by another vehicle, which was attempting to pass a truck on the highway. Tragically, the driver of that vehicle died in the accident. We pray for his family and loved ones as they mourn their loss.
Medical advisors from Church headquarters and the local area have been closely involved in their care since the accident occurred and will continue to work with the medical teams that are caring for them.
The names of those involved are as follows:
• Elder Luke P. Dunn from Salt Lake City, Utah
• Elder Augustine Biney-Amissah from Breman Asikuma, Ghana
• Elder Nicklaus M. Spaulding from Nibley, Utah
• Elder Isaac Boateng from Moree, Ghana
• Brother Marcus Wallace from Sierra Leone
We request the prayers and faith of all in behalf of these missionaries and their families.'
The Dunn family and their friends continue to thank everyone's support for their son and the other missionaries who are currently in recovery.
“So very, very much appreciate all the prayers and love and good vibes that are being sent Luke’s way and to us and to our family,' the Dunn family wrote in a Facebook post. 'We have been overwhelmed, and we do feel them.”
A GoFundMe account has been created for Luke Dunn and his family.
The LDS Church has not released any more information about the current condition of the other three missionaries.