Community Rallies Around Ellington Family Through Prayer, Donations

The Oxford and Lafayette County community is rallying around the Ellington family, offering prayers and donations after a man and his two children died from injuries sustained in a wreck Thursday in Oxford.

At about 7:45 a.m. Thursday, Matt Ellington was driving with his two children to Lafayette Elementary School on Highway 6 East near the intersection of the F.D. “Buddy” East Parkway when a Panola County garbage truck collided with Ellington’s vehicle.

Ellington was pronounced dead at the scene. His daughter was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi where she died shortly after arrival, according to the Oxford Police Department.

The boy was flown via medical helicopter to LeBonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis. He died at about 3 a.m. Friday.

The driver of the garbage truck was transported to Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi with non-life-threatening injuries.

Within hours of the devastating news, prayer chains were quickly formed across all social media platforms. North Oxford Baptist Church, where the Ellingtons attend church, held a prayer vigil Thursday night.

The church has also set up a donation fund for Jessica Ellington.

“This is a widow, a mother, who will today have to go and plan three funerals,” said North Oxford Pastor Scott Thomas in a video this morning. “Let’s take care of Jessica the way we’d want someone to take care of our wife or spouse in this situation.”

Besides donating, Thomas asked everyone to continue to pray for the Ellington family, their friends, classmates, teachers and all those affected by their loss.

DoDo’s Pizza will be donating 10% of its weekend sales to the Ellington Family.

“It is a horrible tragedy nobody can fix, but we can bring some comfort to the family, together as a community,” the business said on its Facebook page.

Before classes started at Lafayette County schools, students gathered on the football field to pray for the family.

A Prayer Drive is being held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. today where citizens are asked to drive around the loop at Lafayette Elementary School and pray as they drive.

In a press release Thursday night, the Oxford Police Department said the wreck is still under investigation.