Street-race crash kills 7

[joatmon]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/...hs.ap/Quote » 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.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 roadFour people were taken to hospitals, Copeland said. Their conditions weren't immediately known.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 racingInvestigators were working to piece together the chain of events and had "more questions than answers," Copeland said.

[ColonelPanic]

Yikes.... A sobering reminder of why street racing is incredibly juvenile and stupid! But kids probably won't get the message and will keep burning up the streets in their stupid little rice rockets, putting themselves and everyone else in danger. Such a tragedy... And one that could have easily been avoided with a little common sense.

[Mavrik]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »Yikes.... A sobering reminder of why street racing is incredibly juvenile and stupid! But kids probably won't get the message and will keep burning up the streets in their stupid little rice rockets, putting themselves and everyone else in danger. Such a tragedy... And one that could have easily been avoided with a little common sense.oddly enough that was no rice rocket. It was an old Impala sedan by the looks of it. I've seen those used as drag cars but never street racing.Yes street racing is stupid, even if your trying to do it on deserted roads.I feel sorry for all those involved other then the driver of the car cause those people were just bystanders. Also wasn't just kids involved. One guy was a father and a grandfather and he was 61 years old.

[WaveAction]

sucks to hear about the people who were watching it die, was hoping the people actually racing were the ones to die, i cant stand people like this and then expect to live, it's these type of people that make insurance rates so high for younger drivers cause one young driver drag races another, then everyone else gets screwed over for their stupidity..just irritates me when you hear of this crap over and over

[northvibe]

this is why i want local tracks! If i lived in germany id be on the nuremberg race ring almost daily, pay 20 bucks and just cruise

[WaveAction]

ah yea, i love that track, play it all the time if it's in a video game like GT4 or forza or any other games like that, a great track

[ragingfish]

situations like that are part of what helped me overcome my speeding problem. Realizing that my speeding put not only myself at risk, but so many others, and seeing crash scenes on TV similar to that described above, made the whole "going fast" feeling become to me not only blunt, but scary. Nowadays, if my car hits 80, that's a shocker, and to go that fast is usually bordering on scary for me. I don't feel I can control the car at those speeds, and if it DOES happen, I quickly back off.More food for thought are these two commercials aired by allstate: People, Not Drivers Tail Lights (IMHO one of the most sobering and effective marketing campaigns I've ever watched) Tail Lights (music video)

[WaveAction]

1 thing im glad about our area of the GTA is on long weekends we have safety blitz on all major highways and usually most major roads..specially the deadly highway 400 here, way to many accidents on that stretch of highway from people going way to fast when the weather is bad or whatever the case is and so many innocent people die cause of these dumb a.. ppl i'll admit i dont speed like i used to either, i go about 120 on the highways which is about 70 or 75 mph there i guess, and i agree with raging, i've seen all these things on the news or stuff like that and it's just shocking to see this all happen when it could be prevented

[joatmon]

note time warpan update, http://www.baltimoresun.com/ne...storyQuote »July 30, 2008UPPER MARLBORO - Two men have been indicted in the deaths of eight people who had gathered to watch an early-morning drag race on an isolated road in Prince George's County, an accident that highlighted the popular pastime in that area and sent authorities scrambling for new ways to curb the illegal activity.Darren Bullock, 20, and Tavon Taylor, 18, both of Waldorf, were charged yesterday with eight counts of vehicular manslaughter, as well as reckless driving and street racing, in the Feb. 16 crash.Police initially did not believe either to be part of the racing, but prosecutors said yesterday that they had been racing each other along Route 210 in Accokeek.Bullock is expected to surrender to police as early as today, and he will likely face a bond hearing by the end of the week. An arrest warrant has also been issued for Taylor. Drag-racing accident in Accokeek Photos Police have said that Bullock, driving a white Crown Victoria, rammed into a crowd that stood in a cloud of smoke in the dark road about 3 a.m. The racing fans were in the road watching two other cars compete and were hit from behind.Eight were killed, and eight others were injured.Officials from the state's attorney's office are releasing few details about the case. Prosecutors declined yesterday to say whether Taylor's car struck anyone.Authorities believe that Bullock and Taylor were driving about 110 mph with their headlights off at the time of the accident, said a county official with knowledge of the case who spoke on condition of anonymity.Bullock and Taylor weren't part of the initial race that people had come to watch, prosecutors say.Prince George's County State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey said minor charges might eventually be filed against the drivers in the race that brought the fans into the road, but that the cause of the deaths was the higher priority."From my perspective, certainly the deaths were the pivotal part and the main focus of the investigation," Ivey said.Bullock was not injured in the incident. He has recently been sentenced to 32 hours of community service for an unrelated May 27 citation for driving with a suspended license.Bullock's lawyer, William C. Brennan Jr., declined to comment on the case. Taylor's lawyer could not be determined.Ivey said authorities interviewed about 80 people and used surveillance photos taken from a nearby building to reconstruct what happened."The photos from the Beretta factory were pivotal, along with the interviews of the people who were there," Ivey said.The accident occurred about 11 miles southeast of Washington along a stretch of four-lane, divided highway with no traffic lights. One onlooker told The Sun that about 150 people had gathered to watch the races, filling parking lots on both sides of the highway.Several neighbors have previously said car races are frequent at all times of year and, when police come to break them up, the drivers and fans move down the road.Yesterday, Ivey acknowledged the thriving racing subculture."I think there is certainly an enormous attachment to street racing in Southern Maryland that I hadn't realized was there. And I do think it's a major problem," Ivey said. "It's very dangerous, and, as we saw in this case, can be very tragic."

[NibCrom]

Take it to the track, people.

[joatmon]

this weekend another two Maryland street race spectators were killed in a race gone badlong readhttp://www.abc2news.com/news/l....cspxQuote »2 Killed in Drag Racing CrashLast Update: 7:52 pmMaryland State Police and hospital officials say a 22-year-old Elkridge man injured in a chain-reaction crash that killed two people has been released from the hospital, but another man remains in critical condition.State police spokesman Sgt. Arthur Betts said Monday that investigators are looking into whether 26-year old Donneil Raeburn of Pikesville was drag racing before the crash on Interstate 70.Shock Trauma spokeswoman Cindy Rivers says Raeburn is listed in critical condition. Rivers says 22-year-old Paul Duffy of Elkridge was treated for serious injuries and released.The crash killed 21-year-old Mary-Kathryn Abernathy of Columbia, and 20-year-old Jonathan Henderson of La Plata. Both were hit as they stood next to Henderson's car on the shoulder of I-70. Duffywas standing by his car nearby when he was hit.UpdateHeavy skid marks are left on the road and tire tracks are on the grass on Interstate 70 westbound, west of the Park and Ride. We also spotted a beer bottle left to the side, all evidence of an illegal race gone bad.Sean Azmat works at a gas station nearby and knows about the ongoing problem. "They do talk about who they are going to race and how much they are going to race and how much they are going to bet. The minimum bet is $500; that is what I have heard," said Azmat.Around 3 a.m. Sunday, Maryland State Police say 21-year-old Mary-Kathryn Abernathy and her boyfriend, 20-year-old Jonathan Henderson, were standing along I-70 before a car swerved in their path, killing them."According to witnesses at the scene, they had gathered at that location for the purpose of watching a drag racing event," said Maryland State Police Spokesman Sgt. Arthur Betts.Sgt. Betts says a vehicle lost control, veered onto the shoulder, and hit another car. The driver of that car, 22-year-old Paul Duffy, was knocked to the ground.He was sent to Shock Trauma in serious condition. His mother's fiance’ says this has been a horrible father's day."One father is thanking God his family survived, two fathers are just devastated," said Matt Williams.The force of the initial impact then knocked into another car, where Abernathy and Henderson stood."Tragically, the force of that impact killed both of those individuals," said Sgt. Betts.Police don't know if the driver of the car that lost control was drag racing, but they believe 26-year-old Donneil Raeburn was driving under the influence. He is in critical condition.While the investigation continues, two families are in shock.“He was just always with a smile on his face, always ready to help, he's going to missed,” said Amy Lamke, Henderson’s friend.The families or Henderson and Abernathy sent these statements. John Henderson’s family says: "We are in shock. We loved him so much. He had so much going for him. Mary was a great girl. He loved her very much, he wanted to get married."Mary-Kathryn Abernathy's family says: "This senseless loss of a sparkling personality and beautiful person must be a reminder to the dangers of street racing. Although Mary-Kathryn was not street racing herself, she was tragically killed by an individual who was."Right now, no charges have been filed.21-year-old Mary-Kathryn Abernathy is one of the two fatal victims from the crash.She and her boyfriend, 20-year-old Jonathan Robert Henderson were standing on the side of the road, when everything went terribly wrong."This is a classic example, two people lost their lives watching a race event, it just shows when you participate in illegal street racing whether you are the driver or a spectator, the results can be tragic," says Sgt. Arthur Betts of Maryland State Police.According to state police, it all happened around 3am Sunday morning, on westbound interstate 70, near the park and ride on the city/county line.Witnesses say that a group of people had gathered to watch drag racing. When a cop was spotted everyone went for their cars. But the driver of a Chevy Impala went out of control, and veered onto the shoulder. The car hit three people, killing Abernathy and Henderson.That driver was a Donneil Raeburn. Police still do not know what he was doing on the scene. But they believe he was under the influence of alcohol."We don't know if that operator was traveling through the area, we don't know if he was one of the spectators, or if he was someone participating in the race event, that it part of the investigation," says Betts.Two people lost their lives and two others, including Raeburn were injured. The family of Mary-Kathryn Abernathy want people to learn from what happened to their daughter."The family wishes to express their appreciation of everyone's prayers and support during this sudden tragedy. This senseless loss of a sparkling personality and beautiful person must be [a] reminder to the dangers of street racing. Although Mary-Kathryn was not street racing herself, she was tragically killed by an individual who was. Our thoughts and prayers are also with the family and friends of her boyfriend who was also killed," says Dave Abernathy.Two people were killed and two others seriously injured after a suspected street racing crash on Interstate 70 in Woodlawn early Sunday morning.The crash happened at around 3 a.m. near the Park and Ride on westbound I-70 near the Baltimore County, Baltimore City line.Witnesses to the crash told police they were there to watch drag racing when someone spotted a Baltimore County Police vehicle and everyone scrambled into their cars to get away, says Sergeant Arthur Betts, spokesperson for the Maryland State Police.For unknown reasons, the driver of a 2009 Chevrolet Impala, later identified as 26-year-old Donneil Raeburn of Pikesville, lost control of the car and hit the back of a 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier. The driver of the Cavalier, 22-year-old Paul Alan Duffy of Elkridge, was standing outside of the car and was hit, says Betts.The force of the impact sent the Cavalier into the rear of a 1995 Acura Integra owned by 20-year-old Jonathan Robert Henderson of La Plata. Henderson was standing outside of his car with 21-year-old Mary-Kathryn Michele Abernathy of Columbia when the accident occurred. Both victims were hit.Henderson and Abernathy were both pronounced dead at the scene. Raeburn and Duffy were taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in serious condition.Westbound I-70 was closed for about five hours while crash team investigators tried to figure out what happened.Sergent Betts says police are aware motorists gather in that area of I-70 and troopers frequently patrol the area to deter illegal activity. Two checks were made an hour prior to the crash, says Betts.Police are still working to determine if Raeburn was racing before the crash. So far, nor charges have been filed.

[hskater26]

so stupid. if i had 500 dollars to toss around like that id out it towards my car payment lol

[Whelan]

Keep it on the Track. This is why I am a huge supporter of tracks being built and sponsored across the country. It's cheap, you show up and pay $5 a run or $20-$25 for the night. You need some safety equipment like a helmet and if its your first time and you run under a certain time you are not allowed back on the track until further safety equpment is installed. Fire extinguisher, roll cage, 5 point, etc. We have one about an hour from us. I never made it up there cause I never had a car worth taking to a track.Who knows in a few years parents will be able to dial into cars and limit them.

[Sublimewind]

Boo hoo... People morn, sure, but nobody says anything while the car is being built or bought? So why all of the grief when someone dies??? Now I don't want to sound morbid, but come on... Put the power of a fast car in a kids hand AND HE WILL RACE IT... Nobody said a word when these people were putting all of their money into the car to make it faster... Nobody said a word when the kid was signing the papers to his new 300hp SRT-4 or STi... (i'm not immune from this AT ALL, so don't start) It's human nature to do this... I've done it... and I feel REALLY stupid and fortunate to be here still, to say how stupid it really is.. People in my Subaru community give me flack allllll the time about adding weight to my car and making it "slower" Well guess what smarty, my car is plenty fast.. lol.. It's a dam shame to lose people, even worse that they were spectators, but I have no remorse for ignorance, it's curable...The ignorant are giving my car and all it represents, a VERY bad name... I feel nothing for these people... EDIT: to add to this, there is NOTHING new going on here... For crap sake, the BEACH BOYS SUNG HIT SONGS about street racing.... So someone, anyone, please tell me how this is any different than 30-40yrs ago??? MEDIA.... Sure, imports are all the craze these days, they get all the media and movie attention... Why not use them to create the next big story... How come you never seem to hear about it, if it's some mullet boy in a Monty?? IT"S NOT NEWS...... I cry not a single tear, why, because many of our dads and their dads did the VERY SAME THING.... it just wasn't in a 300hp Honda..

[joatmon]

recent developments in the orignal incident from two years agohttp://www.nbcwashington.com/n....htmlQuote » Man Gets 15 Years in Deaths of 8 Street Race FansRetrial set for second suspectA man who pleaded guilty to driving into a group of people watching a street race was sentenced to about 15 years in prison.Darren Bullock, 21, of Waldorf, Md., pleaded guilty to eight counts of vehicular manslaughter in the deaths of eight people. His sentencing was delayed until the end of the trial of Tavon Taylor, 20, also of Waldorf. Taylor was convicted Monday of reckless driving and engaging in a speed contest -- both punishable by fines of no more than $1,000 -- but the jury was hung over eight counts of vehicular manslaughter.At about 3 a.m. Feb. 16, 2008, Bullock drove into a group of street racing fans along an isolated stretch of Route 210 in Accokeek while he and Taylor were racing each other, authorities said. The victims ranged in age from their 20s to their 60s.The fans had spilled into the road to watch two other cars race off when they were hit from behind. Bullock and Taylor weren't part of the event that the fans had gone to watch.Bullock's parents told News4 their son was not racing but was speeding and felt he needed to take responsibility for the deaths.Taylor will be sentenced for his traffic violations at another time. A retrial on the vehicular manslaughter charges was set for Oct. 18.

[ajflan]

Its an unfortunate situation. But at the same time, the spectators that were struck were most likely aware that they were participating in events that had risk. They didn't have to be there. There is fault on both sides. If you've ever been to an illegal street race, you know you're breaking the law, and there is considerable risk involved.

[TONY TAT2]

[IMG][/IMG] LOOK MOM !!! HI-PO PARTS.I swear,Im not racen.I was in my early 20's back then,b4 that 68 in the pic i had a 58