Illegal drag race accident kills seven
Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 12:23 pm
Seven people were killed when a car veered into a crowd at an illegal drag race in the United States.
The crash happened at about 0340 (0840 GMT) on Route 210 just outside Accokeek in Maryland - about 20 miles (32km) from Washington DC.
At least four people were injured, police said. Their conditions were not immediately known.
"It's probably one of the worst scenes I've seen," said Prince George's County Police Cpl Clinton Copeland.
A white sedan went out of control and ploughed into the crowd of spectators on the roadside, although it was not clear if it was participating in the race, Cpl Copeland said.
It was followed by a tractor-trailer that may also have hit bystanders as it tried to avoid the crash, he said.
He said investigators had "more questions than answers".
Witnesses told the Associated Press news agency that a crowd of about 50 people had just watched two cars speed past in the race, when another car, with no lights on, veered into spectators.
"There were just bodies everywhere; it was horrible," Crystal Gaines, 27, told AP.
Her father was among the dead. "He wasn't breathing, he wasn't moving," she said. "His body was in pieces."
Victims' bodies were scattered along a 183-metre (200-yard) stretch of road, police said.
The driver of the sedan did not appear to be seriously hurt, but a passenger was among the dead, police said.
Sigh. Some people are just idiots. It was illegal to start with. Whilst I can grieve at lives lost, someone who knowingly attends an illegal gathering and is killed in that process receives far less respect.
