Seven Killed in Street Racing Accident in Maryland
02-16-08, 06:37 AM
#1
7 killed in MD Street Race
ACCOKEEK, Maryland (AP) -- Seven people were killed early Saturday when a car plowed into people apparently gathered to watch a street race on a suburban two-lane road, police said.
Police examine a car involved in a Maryland drag-racing crash that killed seven bystanders.
The car went out of control on Route 210 around 3:40 a.m. and slammed into the crowd standing on the roadside, Prince George's County Police Cpl. Clinton Copeland said.
A tractor-trailer that came by shortly afterward may also have struck someone on the road as it tried to avoid the crash, he said.
"It's probably one of the worst scenes I've seen," Copeland said. "This is a situation that could have been avoided, and it's a very tragic situation." Video Watch sheet-covered bodies strewn along road »
Four people were taken to hospitals, Copeland said. Their conditions weren't immediately known.
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Route 210 has two lanes in each direction and traffic lights about every 150 to 200 yards in Accokeek, about 20 miles south of Washington. Learn about street racing »
Investigators were working to piece together the chain of events and had "more questions than answers," Copeland said. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend
Police examine a car involved in a Maryland drag-racing crash that killed seven bystanders.
The car went out of control on Route 210 around 3:40 a.m. and slammed into the crowd standing on the roadside, Prince George's County Police Cpl. Clinton Copeland said.
A tractor-trailer that came by shortly afterward may also have struck someone on the road as it tried to avoid the crash, he said.
"It's probably one of the worst scenes I've seen," Copeland said. "This is a situation that could have been avoided, and it's a very tragic situation." Video Watch sheet-covered bodies strewn along road »
Four people were taken to hospitals, Copeland said. Their conditions weren't immediately known.
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Route 210 has two lanes in each direction and traffic lights about every 150 to 200 yards in Accokeek, about 20 miles south of Washington. Learn about street racing »
Investigators were working to piece together the chain of events and had "more questions than answers," Copeland said. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend
tragic to hear...sometimes bystanding is dangerous too..
02-16-08, 09:01 AM
#2
Lead Lap
drag racing a town car... or whatever old school "non-race" car????
that's just plain ignorant... i guess if it has 4 wheels and an accelerator,... then it can be done....
that's just plain ignorant... i guess if it has 4 wheels and an accelerator,... then it can be done....
02-16-08, 10:11 AM
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Seven Killed in Street Racing Accident in Maryland
I know this isn't Lexus Specific but it is important to everyone who street races or even those who just go and watch.
Seven people were killed and four were injured early this morning after a driver struck a group of roadside spectators during a high-speed street race on Indian Head Highway in southern Prince George's County, police said.
Six of the dead were hit while watching the race in the dark near Pine Drive and one was a passenger in the white Crown Victoria that struck them about 3 a.m., Prince George's police said. One person also may have been hit by a tractor-trailer unrelated to the street race, said Cpl. Clinton Copeland.
The driver of the older model Crown Victoria was among the injured, Copeland said. Investigators have not released any names or the condition of those injured, he said, but most of those involved appeared to be young men. Police are investigating the possibility that another driver or drivers involved in the race fled the scene because the Crown Victoria was the only one still there when officers arrived, Copeland said.
"It was a very horrific scene with the number of individuals in the road at one time and the amount of debris," Copeland said.
Copeland said the Crown Victoria appeared to have been traveling north on Indian Head Highway before striking the spectators near Pine Drive in Accokeek, which is near the Charles County border. Those hit appeared to have been thrown and the Crown Victoria had run off the road and into an embankment, Copeland said. He said there were skid marks on the pavement from where the driver apparently tried to stop.
He said police are still trying to determine how large a crowd had gathered when the incident happened and are assuming that many fled in fear. He said the number of those still at the scene when officers arrived, "sure implied they were there watching an event." The tractor trailer driver, who was not seriously injured, stayed and spoke with investigators, Copeland said. The truck driver came upon the scene after the street race collision, he said.
He said it's too early to determine any criminal charges.
"Investigators on the scene are trying to piece together exactly what happened," Copeland said. "There are a lot of questions we still need answers to.'
Indian Head Highway is a popular destination for street racers, Copeland said, because it is a straightaway with traffic lights spaced far apart. However, he said, street racers in that area are more typically on motorcycles.
"The way the road is set up, it's definitely enticing for someone who wants to see how fast their vehicle can go," Copeland said.
He said police have used radar and speed traps in the area. "It's not like it's a situation the department is not aware of," he said.
"From www.washingtonpost.com"
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Seven people were killed and four were injured early this morning after a driver struck a group of roadside spectators during a high-speed street race on Indian Head Highway in southern Prince George's County, police said.
Six of the dead were hit while watching the race in the dark near Pine Drive and one was a passenger in the white Crown Victoria that struck them about 3 a.m., Prince George's police said. One person also may have been hit by a tractor-trailer unrelated to the street race, said Cpl. Clinton Copeland.
The driver of the older model Crown Victoria was among the injured, Copeland said. Investigators have not released any names or the condition of those injured, he said, but most of those involved appeared to be young men. Police are investigating the possibility that another driver or drivers involved in the race fled the scene because the Crown Victoria was the only one still there when officers arrived, Copeland said.
"It was a very horrific scene with the number of individuals in the road at one time and the amount of debris," Copeland said.
Copeland said the Crown Victoria appeared to have been traveling north on Indian Head Highway before striking the spectators near Pine Drive in Accokeek, which is near the Charles County border. Those hit appeared to have been thrown and the Crown Victoria had run off the road and into an embankment, Copeland said. He said there were skid marks on the pavement from where the driver apparently tried to stop.
He said police are still trying to determine how large a crowd had gathered when the incident happened and are assuming that many fled in fear. He said the number of those still at the scene when officers arrived, "sure implied they were there watching an event." The tractor trailer driver, who was not seriously injured, stayed and spoke with investigators, Copeland said. The truck driver came upon the scene after the street race collision, he said.
He said it's too early to determine any criminal charges.
"Investigators on the scene are trying to piece together exactly what happened," Copeland said. "There are a lot of questions we still need answers to.'
Indian Head Highway is a popular destination for street racers, Copeland said, because it is a straightaway with traffic lights spaced far apart. However, he said, street racers in that area are more typically on motorcycles.
"The way the road is set up, it's definitely enticing for someone who wants to see how fast their vehicle can go," Copeland said.
He said police have used radar and speed traps in the area. "It's not like it's a situation the department is not aware of," he said.
"From www.washingtonpost.com"
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02-16-08, 12:07 PM
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They said this happened at like 3am and there were kids and older adults (over 60 years old) there. I feel sorry people died....but some people just have no brains....they are the reason they died.
02-16-08, 12:25 PM
#12
Police examine a car involved in a Maryland drag-racing crash that killed seven bystanders.
The car went out of control on Route 210 around 3:40 a.m. and slammed into the crowd standing on the roadside, Prince George's County Police Cpl. Clinton Copeland said.
The car went out of control on Route 210 around 3:40 a.m. and slammed into the crowd standing on the roadside, Prince George's County Police Cpl. Clinton Copeland said.
People willing to watch street races should learn not to stand at the 'end' of the 'track'.....this wouldn't happen if you play it safe (as can be safe in a situation like this) and stay where cars are staging, rather than where cars are going 140mph, and losing control....
02-16-08, 01:23 PM
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From what I read, after the 2 cars raced off there was a cloud of smoke from the burnout, launching etc. Then the bystanders ran out onto the streets where they started and that is when the white sedan came and hit the bystanders. The white sedan could not see in front of him due to the smoke.
02-16-08, 01:30 PM
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Police said the white sedan was not involved in the street race but accidentally drove into the crowd of about 50 people that had spilled onto the highway to watch two racing cars speed off.