| Page 2 of 3 < > |
Car Plows Into Crowd Watching Pr. George's Street Race, Killing 8
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
"When one pedestrian is struck, it's a bad scene, but with multiple pedestrians, it was overwhelming," said Campbell, who quickly set about treating victims and placing white sheets over the dead.
Cpl. Clinton Copeland, a Prince George's police spokesman, called the scene the most "horrific" in his 14-year career.
"This is a tragedy. . . . It's a tragic incident, and it's one of those situations you want to never see happen in your county," he said.
William Gaines Jr., of Nanjemoy in Charles County, said his father, William Gaines Sr., 61, was hit and killed while standing next to him in the road. He said he had his back turned when the Crown Victoria came through the crowd. When he turned around, he said, his father was gone.
"The race was over with," said Gaines, who returned to the scene yesterday afternoon. "The car came up from behind us. I didn't see the car until it was over. It happened so fast."
Police did not release the names of those who were killed or injured but said all the deceased were men. Family members identified four of the dead as Mark Courtney, 33, of Leonardtown, who worked as a groundskeeper at Patuxent River Naval Air Station; Gaines, a construction worker who lived in Nanjemoy; Darrell Wills, whose age and home town weren't available; and Milton Pinkney, 41, of Aquasco, who worked in the cement business.
Seven people were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. An eighth died at a hospital. A Maryland Shock Trauma Center spokeswoman said two victims, ages 37 and 44, were flown there by helicopter about 4:30 a.m. By yesterday afternoon, she said, both were in serious condition, and one was in surgery. Copeland said he did not know where the other victims were taken.
Police said the Crown Victoria was not involved in the racing. The name of the driver, who was not injured, was not released because he is considered a witness, Copeland said. A tractor-trailer driver, whose name was not released, struck one of the bodies after coming upon the scene, police said.
Copeland said it was too early in the investigation to discuss criminal charges. He said police are still trying to find the drivers involved in the race.
"There are a lot of questions we still need answers to," Copeland said.
Karen Savoy Phillips, 49, who lives in the Hunters Point subdivision in Accokeek a few hundred yards off of Indian Head Highway, said she has heard the racing and called authorities to report it. She said she did not call police about 2:30 a.m. yesterday when she heard racing out on the highway, nor did she hear a collision or the commotion that followed.
"I've heard it in the early morning hours," Phillips said of racing in general.
Mobile
Email