Street-race crash kills 7 in crowd

[Dirty Habit]

ACCOKEEK, Maryland (AP) --
link (http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/16/drag.race.deaths.ap/)
A car plowed into a crowd that had gathered to watch a street race on a suburban road early Saturday, killing seven people and injuring at least four, police said.
The white sedan hit people standing on the side of Route 210 around 3:40 a.m., 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."
Four people were taken to hospitals, Copeland said. Their conditions weren't immediately known.
The driver of the car had been interviewed and did not appear to be seriously hurt, but a passenger was among the dead, Police Capt. Donald Frick said.
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.
nvestigators were working to piece together the chain of events and had "more questions than answers," Copeland said.

People are still having a hard time learning to keep shit like this off the street. Looks the car that hit everyone was a crown vic or something.

[ThatGuy]

KEEP IT OFF THE STREETS!!!

:rant2: :rant2: :rant2: :rant2: :rant2: :rant2: :rant2: :rant2: :rant2: :rant2: :rant2: :rant2:

[TheRonTom31]

Wow. That driver FAILS.

He is going to be sitting in Jail for a long long time.

[DOOK]

i swear to god why can't people just pay track day fees instead of paying funeral bills...

[opponheimer]

Fuckin dumbasses..

[Howard92884]

Why is it that the dumbass driver always lives and everyone else around him is hurt or dies? Well I guess none of them should of been there in the first place. Fucking stupid pointless shit for people to be killed over. Keep it off the streets.

[jskateborders]

hmm, Im thinking 4 door civic.
Sounds like that one episode of Numb3rs.
In my opinion, If you want to risk your own life doing something stupid, Im not going to tell you not too, but the second you bring other people into that risk, you fucked up.

[hotlavaflow]

The f-d up thing is something like this happens and then they start cracking down on civics, 240's, supra's etc. Now all the import drivers in Maryland are gonna get hassled because of a non-driver idiot in a 6000lb domestic piece of crap.

[ByeByeSti]

fucking idiotss, for one... on the streets.. 2 a crown vic.. come on.
its not worth the consequences

[dirtdiggler666]

OK i really don't get it

why dose it seem like when people die from street racing its by a car that has 110hp:ugh:

[qwikspool]

they never learn. their stupidity caused 7 lives.

[jackjack]

KEEP IT OFF THE STREETS!!!



:rant2: :rant2: :rant2: :rant2: :rant2: :rant2: :rant2: :rant2: :rant2: :rant2: :rant2: :rant2:



nuff said...................

[ericcastro]

Why is it that the dumbass driver always lives.......

Cause Bubba and the rest of the jail needs a new girlfriend that weighs in at 165 lbs. Streetracers 25 to life for manslaughter will be the best years of Bubba's life.




The Crown Vic was FOLLOWING people. read guys!!



And I always thought the Street races where for "trashy/ghetto" people. and things like this prove me right in my mind.
"Gaines said she grabbed her child but could not help her father, William Gaines Sr., 61...................around 3:40 a.m.,"
WTF ??? who are these people ????

[ryguy]

That was my first thought when I read the article this morning. What kind of redneck/ghetto inbred illiterate family goes down to watch the illegal street races together? And that is definately a larger American sedan, I was thinking a Cadillac. It's not a civic.

[240sx_sr20det]

Street racing FTL. Come on guys, just go to the track it if THAT necessary.

[Howard92884]

Cause Bubba and the rest of the jail needs a new girlfriend that weighs in at 165 lbs. Streetracers 25 to life for manslaughter will be the best years of Bubba's life.




The Crown Vic was FOLLOWING people. read guys!!



And I always thought the Street races where for "trashy/ghetto" people. and things like this prove me right in my mind.
"Gaines said she grabbed her child but could not help her father, William Gaines Sr., 61...................around 3:40 a.m.,"
WTF ??? who are these people ????
Yes bubba does need a new b*tch. Oh and sorry I did'nt read the whole article. 61? WTF.

[jackjack]

That was my first thought when I read the article this morning. What kind of redneck/ghetto inbred illiterate family goes down to watch the illegal street races together? And that is definately a larger American sedan, I was thinking a Cadillac. It's not a civic.


i remember seeing family's piled up in minivans, pickups, and conversion vans :tweak:
i use to go a LONG time ago....... just to shoot the shit and hang out with friends. never race though.

[firelizard]

The driver of the white sedan had been interviewed and did not appear to be seriously hurt, Police Capt. Donald Frick said. Police said a body found in the car was one of the spectators and not a passenger as they had previously reported.

According to police, two cars had lined up for a race on the smooth and relatively flat and straight stretch of highway. They spun their wheels, kicking up smoke, then sped off, Copeland said.

The crowd then moved into the road to watch the cars drive away. The combination of the smoke and the dark morning likely meant the driver of the approaching white sedan could not see the crowd. No charges were pending.

Authorities were looking for the drivers of the two cars involved in the race.


Explanation.

Congrats to conclusion jumpers for failing.

Also, 1 more person has died since.

[hotlavaflow]

Explanation.

Congrats to conclusion jumpers for failing.

Also, 1 more person has died since.

Well then technically is it a street racing accident???????? Large cloud of smoke, 0 visibility, I say don't drive through.

[slw240sx]

from what i heard it was middle aged racers.

[yokotas13]

id say, if they werent racing, they woudlnt be there

blame it all on street racing. and thats a SHIT ton of smoke to have 0 visibility

[bardabe]

sad thing is becos of dumbasses like that most of us become profiled if our cars aren't "clean looking"

[MikeisNissan]

8 people dead now. Wow a Crown Vic is the metal Grim Reaper.

[ericcastro]

Explanation.

Congrats to conclusion jumpers for failing.

Also, 1 more person has died since.

where the hell did that info come from??

I didnt read that on the original link!



And maybe with all that SMOKE, they just tried to put the pedal down and go through on the high side!! Worked for Tom Cruise in "Days Of Thunder"!!

[Matej]

7 people for combo points perhaps?

We should blame videogames and TV, and automakers for making cars that can hurt humans.

[WERDdabuilder]

they never learn. their stupidity caused 7 lives.

i blame the drivers and the spectators. just let the stupid kill themselves.

[hotlavaflow]

sad thing is becos of dumbasses like that most of us become profiled if our cars aren't "clean looking"

So true, so true...

[soreballz]

The driver of the Crown Vic is gonna be traumatized for life after some shit like that. Accidentally killing eight people, and one of the bodies wound up inside the car with him? Yeah... That's fucked up.

[jackjack]

just saw in on the news. in chicago....... huh.

[Rnz520]

Thats the place where all my friends go and race and we were all shocked. I have not been there personally but they always have good stories from there.
We got the call at about 5 am this morning, before it even went up on the news. This is really embarrasing and its going to make it a hassle to even drive a tuner car in the va, md, dc area and that just really bothers me because this is not all of us. I bust my ass working to get my car to the track when I can and not race on the streets and here is a dumbass that could have killed some of my friends in a slow car. Its just sad that someone would do this and I pray for the families of the people involved.

[mrs.drift33]

not to long ago a drunk driver hit a group of kids watching the races in palmdale.

[ROUGE180]

I have gone to that location a couple times just to see what the hype was about. I can't believe that happened. It's so sad. I was at my normal hang out spot tonight when I heard the story.

While getting coffee, I overheard a girl talking about what happened. She was actually there. I started asking her questions and she said that the race had been over and there was no smoke from tires at all, at all. The street lights were sufficient to see people around. Everyone ran into the street to cheer when the guy in the crown vic ran into them. She also mentioned that he had no lights on. He just plowed into everyone. She got hit with something and she rolled out. She said there were car parts everywhere and she saw a leg among other body parts strewn all over the place. She was addiment about the fact that there was no smoke and what the news is saying is not entirely true.

A guy I know said he talked to another friend who was up there that actually got hit with body parts. There was blood and tissue on his jeans and shoes starting from his knees down. The guy who got hit by the tractor trailor ran out of the way of the initial event and ran in front of the truck. Another guy that usually comes up to the spot we hang out at was killed. All his buddies had stickers on their cars in his memory.

I don't street race. I can't lie and say that I've never gone to a location where they do race and I can't say I haven't followed my buddies to a location at high speeds. We all get on it at 1 point or another. I always had it in my head to keep it on the track. This just sements that feeling. It's sad that this had to come about to be an example for those who get on the streets and act stupid.

Cops are pulling people over left and right tonight. Alot of us are going to be profiled as well. God, Buddha, Alah.. whoever you believe in.. even if you don't believe in god at all.. I wish the families and friends of those lost my best.

Keep it on the track.

[downshift_sideways]

Damn that is terrible.

I like how the media like to twist shit. That must be horrible seeing body parts flying in front of you, after a car blowing through.

[murda-c]

I hear they trailer cars down there to race and shit, but normally they have the road blocked by a flatbed or something.

Though i do know not to run into the street. Ever.

[downshift_sideways]

The runs up here in Norcal just got cracked a few weeks ago.

20 cars impounded, lots of ref tickets...

[CrimsonRockett]

Sucks to hear.

Pics?

:ugh:

[spikNspan]

definitely an unfortunate event.

[mrmephistopheles]

7 people for combo points perhaps?

We should blame videogames and TV, and automakers for making cars that can hurt humans.

GOURANGA!!!


That said, street racing is fucking retarded.

What even more retarded is the profiling of car enthusiasts who are essentially considered guilty until proven innocent.

[HyperTek]

unfortinutely this happened.. sounds like the environment must have been reall laid back if familys would show up and cars would be trailered out there.

Sounds like it was teh celebration after Dom beat Brian Oconnor and everyone gathered.. then some crown vic flys out of no where. I wonder if alcohol was involved.

I aggree to advancments to crack down on street racing.. but that shouldnt involve cracking down on modified vehicles just because of immature behavior.

[eastcoastS14]

lol everyone needs to go back and read the full story haha....but seriously wtf?? one dude was 61? one was 33 and one 48??? It says one lady was there with her 61 year old dad with a broken leg who couldnt get away? old ppl street races FTL....that really is the oddest story Ive ever read. What middle aged guys are out on the side of the HWY watching street races at 5am? dont these ppl have jobs and kids and shit lol....and one car took out 8ppl? Holy fuck that guy must have been driving like 100mph and just absolutely shredded through them

[TheRonTom31]

I also really don't understand what the Crown Victoria was doing. I also heard that it was not racing and collided with the people standing in the road cheering after the race. It was reported there was no smoke and the car did not have its headlights on. There was one news crew that had shots of the scene before being completely cleaned up. By the orientation of one of the bodies and the number of hurt and injured I just don't understand what happened. The crown victoria had to have been moving at a very decent speed to do the damage it did, but how could it not see an entire crowd of people and why were his lights not on?

[ericcastro]

The thing I get stuck on is.

Street racing is stupid, and dangerous, and risky, but.....

WHO THE FUCK STANDS IN THE MIDDLE OF A HIGHWAY AT NIGHT !!!!!!

fucking morons. Its sad, but if you don't look both ways when crossing, and get hit by a car. Then its your bad. If you stand in a highway looking away from the coming traffic, and cheer so you cant hear anything. Well fuck, no wonder a crown vic and a SEMI could sneak up on you!!!!!

[spirit]

What sucks, if they ever find out what really happened (like a drunk driver, not involved with the street racing, or just some sick f*** tired of the noise at 5am) the news will never report the retraction like they did the original story.

F****** hate news on the tv, so one sided stereo typing mother f******. Glad that I haven't seen that 'fair and balanced' commercial in a long time tho, wanted to see them sued for that one... ack rant, I'm done.

[illvialuver]

just one more case to prove that you should keep it off the streets and be responsible.
if you do it on the streets do it by yourself or with people in a safe manner.

[g6civcx]

I think I'm the closest member to the location. I'm about 10 minutes from there.

I'm not surprised to hear, sad to say. I've seen a lot of racing on that stretch just driving through going to visit family. I've heard about a lot of older folks doing some high stakes racing in that area.

That road is really enticing to some people. It's 4 lanes. 55mph speed limits at some point. Flat. Good visibility. Stoplights placed far apart. Plus it's a couple of minutes to hop on the interstate and cross state line.

I really dislike the news coverage and especially people who jump to conclusion. There are a lot of details that are withheld, some by the police, some by the witnesses, and some by the media to hype up the story.

Personally, I would never participate or watch a street race. Too many things can go wrong and you don't have as much control as you do at the track. People who don't have a lot of training act stupid when they get a little bit of adrenaline in their system. Even skilled drivers wreck so it's better when there are paramedics nearby.

Please be safe.

[Tearlessj]

Sucks to hear this happen,
New report said that the driver got away with no charges.

From what I have gathered so far,

Race starts
People go into the street to watch the race.
Crown Vic comes from behind and plows people down.
People fled the scene
Then people came back when the cops were there.

Hopefully that clears it up for some people, Keep it off the street guys.
This coming April I have to go visit a friend I lost to street racing a year ago. The risk just are NOT worth it.

[Tops*]

ROUGE180, what I read in your post sounds like something straight from a movie.

I can't believe people don't learn. Sure, I'll admit, I still do stupid shit from time to time, but it's in a somewhat controlled environment where no one is around. Definitely, definitely not about street racing. It doesn't prove a damn thing. Please keep it safe, guys and gals.

[alindeman1989]

Thats awful. People need to stop street racing.

[kanagawa_kouki]

cmon people.. for real... street racing is flat out stupid and what's even more stupid is the people standing on the side of the road waitin to get hit... shit i'll remember not to watch the races when i get back.. fuck dyin for some stupid shit... IM TRYIN TO LIVE MY LIFE SONN! haha.. but yeah REST IN PEACE!

[emersonLP]

Wow, that is a sad tragedy. Sounds like a drunk driving incident, not a street racing incident to me though. Crown vic plowing through a crowd of people with no lights on... WTF is that!? I dont condone, nor participate in street racing, but I get hassled by cops all the time just for driving a modified car. Media sensationalism like this is part of the problem. They need to find out what the hell the driver was on, and get back to blaming drunk drivers like they should!

[ROUGE180]

To tell you how big this story has gotten. One of my boys who gets Hong Kong Channels (where he's from) heard the story on there. It's gone world wide. Crazy

[ROUGE180]

ROUGE180, what I read in your post sounds like something straight from a movie.

I can't believe people don't learn. Sure, I'll admit, I still do stupid shit from time to time, but it's in a somewhat controlled environment where no one is around. Definitely, definitely not about street racing. It doesn't prove a damn thing. Please keep it safe, guys and gals.

Yeah, it's pretty insane. I could not imagine all that chaos. I don't think I could drive for a while after seeing all of that. Too bad it wasn't a movie. Everyone would have lived and the set would be cleaned up.

I couldn't sleep. I took a drive in their honor. I'm gonna wait a couple weeks and go put some flowers out there.

[ryguy]

Every time I read this story and thread again I imagine the final scene from the first Jackass movie. It's really not the Crown Vic's fault though that the people were standing in the road, but I hope everybody who got away learned their lesson.

[emersonLP]

It is the crowd's fault and the crown vic's fault. If the crown vic did not have his lights on, or he was going too fast for conditions, its definitely his fault. You should not hit stuff in the road, people or otherwise. If you cant see something before you hit it, there's probably a problem with your driving.

[FaLKoN240]

This is retarded.

It sounds like the guy that killed all the people is at fault, the racers had a small part to do with it, but the moron in the crown vic is the one that killed everyone...

NOT THE RACERS.

Street racing is just the scapegoat for this accident.

Now I don't condone street racing, so don't start attacking me. It just sounds like that crown vic guy is the one to blame.

[gottrees]

This is retarded.

It sounds like the guy that killed all the people is at fault, the racers had a small part to do with it, but the moron in the crown vic is the one that killed everyone...

NOT THE RACERS.

Street racing is just the scapegoat for this accident.

Now I don't condone street racing, so don't start attacking me. It just sounds like that crown vic guy is the one to blame.
i totally agree. plus 1!