I've been singing this to great hilarity since I learned it about ten years ago. I've done a bit of research and here are news reports about the incident.
There used to be two reports from the AP, the second one a report of the preacher's trial a few days after the wreck. However, when I searched for them just now, they no longer appear at the address I found long ago.
FYI: The Washington Post article requires a subscription. You can get a one day subscription for a dollar, or a one year subscription for $0.50 a month.