Jeanne and Mark Hounsell are shown in a photo from Jeanne Hounsell's Facebook Page. The couple was killed in a vehicle rollover east of Fallon on Saturday. All four of the children were injured.
A former Douglas County deputy sheriff and his wife were killed in a Saturday vehicle rollover east of Fallon, according to the Churchill County Sheriff’s Office.
Johnson Lane residents Mark Hounsell, 42, and his wife, Jeanne, 34, were identified by the Churchill County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday.
Also killed was Laura Fisher of Washington, Ill. The wreck occurred shortly after 5 p.m. east of Sand Mountain and involved a 2004 Chevrolet Suburban.
According to the Nevada Highway Patrol, Mark was driving when the vehicle drifted off the road and overcorrected causing the vehicle to overturn several times. Trooper Duncan Dauber said investigators believe everyone in the vehicle were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the crash.
Mark Hounsell was hired as a deputy by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in 1998. He went to work for the South Lake Tahoe Police Department in 2007.
Mark’s four children, Tyler, 14, Lance, 11, Emma, 6, and Corbin, 4, were hospitalized as a result of the accident.
Churchill County said two of the children were taken by Care Flight to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, while Banner Churchill paramedics took the other two children to Renown.
Mark, his wife, his wife’s friend, and Mark’s four children were returning from a family trip when the rollover occurred, according to the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.
All the children had varying degrees of injury, but are expected to recover, the department said in a statement issued on Sunday afternoon.
“This tragedy shocks the entire police department, Mark’s friends and all who knew this fine family,” according to the statement. “We will be making plans to properly honor and show our respects in the coming days.”
Jeanne Hounsell was a Carson Valley photographer.
The couple attended Lifepoint Church, which issued a statement regarding their loss.
“Today, our church family grieves the loss of two incredible people, Mark and Jeanne Hounsell,” it said. “They, along with a friend from out of town, were killed in an auto accident (Saturday) evening. Their four children survived, two of them are still being cared for at the hospital. For times like these there are no words but our hearts are aching as we realize the tremendous example, legacy, and impact that both Mark and Jeanne have had on our church and community. Please continue to pray for their children, extended family, and many friends in this time of deep loss.”