8 dead in crash at illegal drag race

[Sid 6.7]

Police: 8 dead in crash at illegal drag race
Car plows into crowd that gathered to watch, police say

ACCOKEEK, Md. - In the pre-dawn hours, the lonely stretch of Route 210 belonged to a crowd of street-racing fans pumped up by the thrill of squealing tires, smoke and speed.

They spilled into the middle of a 55-mph zone, enveloped by the smoke cloud as two racers peeled off to the north. No one suspected the danger that roared from behind until it was upon them.

In an instant, Crystal Gaines pulled her daughter from the path of the late-night motorist but the white sedan plowed into her father and other spectators early Saturday.

"I hollered, 'Daddy, Daddy!'" Gaines recalled hours later.

William Gaines Sr. was among eight people killed. At least five others were injured in the gruesome wreck along an isolated ribbon of highway about 20 miles south of Washington known for illegal races.

The combination of the smoke and the dark likely meant the sedan driver could not see the crowd, police said. A tractor-trailer that came by shortly afterward also may have struck someone on the roadside as it tried to avoid the crash scene, according to investigators.

Police interviewed the driver of the Ford Crown Victoria sedan, but no charges were pending, said Prince George's County police Cpl. Clinton Copeland. Authorities were looking for the drivers of the two cars involved in the race.

Bodies along the road

In the daylight, bodies covered by white sheets lay in the road and on the shoulder across a 50-foot stretch of the road later Saturday morning before they were removed by the medical examiner.

The Crown Victoria, which had a crumpled hood and a partially collapsed roof, ended up down an embankment with one of the victims lodged inside. Shoes were strewn about in the grass, and pair of dark skid marks scarred the highway.

The car came through so fast that "it just ripped people apart," said William Gaines Jr. "I didn't even see the car. All I heard was stuff breaking."

His 61-year-old father — who watched the illegal street racers about once a week, according to Crystal Gaines — had been hobbled by a broken leg and couldn't move fast enough.

"He wasn't breathing; he wasn't moving," his daughter said. "His body was in pieces."

She said about 50 people were watching the race.

The victims' ages ranged from their 20s to 60s, police said. Seven people were pronounced dead at the scene, and an eighth died later at a hospital.

John Courtney said his brother, Mark, 33, of St. Mary's County, also was among the dead. He identified his brother from a digital image police had taken.

"He liked going to the race track, watching races," Courtney said. "It's going to take a toll on my family for a long time."

Street races not uncommon there

Route 210 is a thoroughfare with two lanes in each direction and few traffic lights along the stretch where the accident occurred. The road is flanked by some businesses but has little traffic in the early morning, Copeland said. The speed limit is 55 miles per hour.

Police said that street races are not uncommon on the stretch of road, but that most occur in the summer and involve motorcycles. But relatives said some of the victims often went to see races held late at night on isolated stretches of road.

"It's a problem," said Denee Hines, whose mother owns a hair salon only a few hundred feet from the site of the accident. "Everyone knows about it, but I've never heard of it getting this bad."

[TOOL]

Just saw that in my Internet news thingy.
Really sad. The weird thing is, it was a random, NON street racing car that killed them. I heard he was blinded by the burnout smoke? Sad..


Tyler

[SD_MR_FIT]

deng. rip for all those who were watching. which is still a crime, but dam.

i feel bad for the person driving in the crown vic. innocent driver, just cruising along and BAM...killing 8 people.

[Firebat666]

i sure hope they catch the racers responsible for this...racing tht way is just reckless and mind bogling...

[billmus86]

the "race" had nothing to do with it, there was no race really, it sounds like they were just burning out, and some1 else who had nothing to do with anything drove through the smoke blindly and drove into the people watching the burnouts....

[doctordoom]

man that is some depressing news. it's like everybody loses.

[Sid 6.7]

UPDATE:

2 men indicted in street racing deaths - Crime & courts - MSNBC.com

2 men indicted in street racing deaths
Eight spectators died when they were hit from behind
The Associated Press
updated 6:16 p.m. CT, Tues., July. 29, 2008

UPPER MARLBORO, Maryland - Two men were racing on an isolated stretch of highway when one plowed into a crowd gathered to watch another illegal race, killing eight people, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Authorities said for the first time that two drivers, not just one, were involved in the gruesome February crash as they announced charges against Darren Bullock, 20, and Tavon Taylor, 18.

The men were each charged with eight counts of vehicular manslaughter, along with reckless driving and street racing. If convicted, they face up to 10 years in prison on each manslaughter count and fines for the other charges.

Bullock and Taylor were not part of an organized race that fans had gathered to watch along Route 210 in Accokeek, about 20 miles south of Washington. The spectators were hit from behind when they spilled into the road after two other cars sped off.

After plowing through the crowd, Bullock’s white Ford Crown Victoria ended up down an embankment with one of the victims inside. The car had a crumpled hood and a partially collapsed roof. Authorities don’t know whether Taylor hit anyone.

Illegal street-racing culture
Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey said the deadly wreck in the early morning darkness highlighted an illegal street-racing subculture with deep roots in the area.

“I think there’s an enormous attraction to street racing in southern Maryland that I hadn’t realized was there,” Ivey said in announcing the indictments. “It’s clear people need to understand how dangerous this activity can be.”

Investigators spent six months interviewing more than 75 witnesses and reviewing images from a security camera at a nearby Beretta gun factory.

Bullock and Taylor were driving at about 110 mph with their headlights off, said a county official with knowledge of the investigation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, citing a lack of authorization to release those details.

A message seeking comment was left with Bullock’s attorney.

Ivey’s office said it was unclear whether Taylor had an attorney yet. A woman who answered the phone at a listing for Tavon Taylor said she had no comment and hung up.

Driving home from band practice
Several days after the crash, Bullock’s uncle, James Walls, told The Associated Press that Bullock was driving his brother home from band practice before 4 a.m. when he came upon the crowd.

Bullock braked, Walls said, but was not able to avoid the bystanders in the road. Bullock and his brother were not seriously injured.

Bullock’s license was suspended at the time. In March, he agreed to perform 32 hours of community service for driving without a license.

Bullock was arrested in May after police determined that a van he was driving had been reported stolen. According to charging documents, Bullock told police he had been driving his stepfather’s van and did not know it had been reported stolen. The van’s owner told police she loaned the van to Bullock’s stepfather in September, but he never returned it, according to the documents.

[kancerr]

that guy was an idiot...didnt he die a month or 2 back in a stolen car or driving without a license...something like that. i hate illegal racing but feel sorry for the people who were hurt/racing and am glad the guy who killed em finally got what he deserved. ;/ harsh sorry but f that guy. im from md, remember the whole thing...got family down there.

[kancerr]

Originally Posted by SD_MR_FIT

deng. rip for all those who were watching. which is still a crime, but dam.

i feel bad for the person driving in the crown vic. innocent driver, just cruising along and BAM...killing 8 people.

he wasnt an innocent driver AT ALL. he had not right to be on the road to begin with. let me see if ic an find some updates ont his...

[I Am Ray.]

First off, who races a stock Crown Vic?
Thats like me racing my old 89 Grand Marq hoopdee.

[Sid 6.7]

Originally Posted by kancerr

he wasnt an innocent driver AT ALL. let me see if ic an find some updates ont his...

I just posted the update. The post you quoted was made months ago.

[kancerr]

can't find the article about why the driver on the crown vic was arrested or died...but i'm 95% sure he didn't have a drivers license. he probably lost his license for a GOOD reason...why would you go so fast into a cloud of smoke? wouldn't you slow down? i KNOW that road by heart, he should have seen it from far away. and if he was so close when it all happened he would have seen the crowd. the guy shouldnt have been driving. both parties, the crown vic driver and the racers were in the wrong...but that guy is not innocent at all. hes a neglent driver as well and should be in jail if he isnt already.

[Sid 6.7]

Originally Posted by kancerr

can't find the article about why the driver on the crown vic was arrested or died...but i'm 95% sure he didn't have a drivers license. he probably lost his license for a GOOD reason...why would you go so fast into a cloud of smoke? wouldn't you slow down? i KNOW that road by heart, he should have seen it from far away. and if he was so close when it all happened he would have seen the crowd. the guy shouldnt have been driving. both parties, the crown vic driver and the racers were in the wrong...but that guy is not innocent at all. hes a neglent driver as well and should be in jail if he isnt already.

Dude, please read my post I just made. It updates this entire story.

I tell you what, I am going to repost my own post.

UPDATE:

2 men indicted in street racing deaths - Crime & courts - MSNBC.com

2 men indicted in street racing deaths
Eight spectators died when they were hit from behind
The Associated Press
updated 6:16 p.m. CT, Tues., July. 29, 2008

UPPER MARLBORO, Maryland - Two men were racing on an isolated stretch of highway when one plowed into a crowd gathered to watch another illegal race, killing eight people, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Authorities said for the first time that two drivers, not just one, were involved in the gruesome February crash as they announced charges against Darren Bullock, 20, and Tavon Taylor, 18.

The men were each charged with eight counts of vehicular manslaughter, along with reckless driving and street racing. If convicted, they face up to 10 years in prison on each manslaughter count and fines for the other charges.

Bullock and Taylor were not part of an organized race that fans had gathered to watch along Route 210 in Accokeek, about 20 miles south of Washington. The spectators were hit from behind when they spilled into the road after two other cars sped off.

After plowing through the crowd, Bullock’s white Ford Crown Victoria ended up down an embankment with one of the victims inside. The car had a crumpled hood and a partially collapsed roof. Authorities don’t know whether Taylor hit anyone.

Illegal street-racing culture
Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey said the deadly wreck in the early morning darkness highlighted an illegal street-racing subculture with deep roots in the area.

“I think there’s an enormous attraction to street racing in southern Maryland that I hadn’t realized was there,” Ivey said in announcing the indictments. “It’s clear people need to understand how dangerous this activity can be.”

Investigators spent six months interviewing more than 75 witnesses and reviewing images from a security camera at a nearby Beretta gun factory.

Bullock and Taylor were driving at about 110 mph with their headlights off, said a county official with knowledge of the investigation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, citing a lack of authorization to release those details.

A message seeking comment was left with Bullock’s attorney.

Ivey’s office said it was unclear whether Taylor had an attorney yet. A woman who answered the phone at a listing for Tavon Taylor said she had no comment and hung up.

Driving home from band practice
Several days after the crash, Bullock’s uncle, James Walls, told The Associated Press that Bullock was driving his brother home from band practice before 4 a.m. when he came upon the crowd.

Bullock braked, Walls said, but was not able to avoid the bystanders in the road. Bullock and his brother were not seriously injured.

Bullock’s license was suspended at the time. In March, he agreed to perform 32 hours of community service for driving without a license.

Bullock was arrested in May after police determined that a van he was driving had been reported stolen. According to charging documents, Bullock told police he had been driving his stepfather’s van and did not know it had been reported stolen. The van’s owner told police she loaned the van to Bullock’s stepfather in September, but he never returned it, according to the documents.

[kancerr]

Originally Posted by Sid 6.7

I just posted the update. The post you quoted was made months ago.

gotcha...yeah no license...that road is so easy to see on, dude shouldnt of been on the road, they shouldnt of been racing. really wish he would have been charged with manslaughter as well.

[kancerr]

i read it after you posted it, sorry...was just sayin how i feel about the whole situation, im sure my opinion is probably biased since it was a really bad situation here when it happened. wasnt trying to be a douche or anything, just decided to post what i felt when i read it as i read it. angers me.

[Sid 6.7]

Originally Posted by kancerr

gotcha...yeah no license...that road is so easy to see on, dude shouldnt of been on the road, they shouldnt of been racing. really wish he would have been charged with manslaughter as well.

Ok dude, reading is your friend.

The guy driving the Crown Vic was indicted for street racing and 8 counts of manslaughter. The guy he was racing was indicted as well.

Maybe I should have included cliff notes to make it easy.

[kancerr]

no need to be a dick...i MEANT whoever the guy who plowed into the crowd...is that clear enough for you? may be reading would of helped YOU understand what i was getting at.

the guy that plowed into the crowd had no license. i didnt know he was racing in the opposite direction?

[kancerr]

ah damn i see the confusion here may be...the news here never said it was 2 races...what i heard on the news here in md was that there was 2 cars racing down in accokeek and a guy coming in the opposite direction plowed into the crowd of spectators killing 8...i never heard that there was 2 races going on...