Drag Racing Crash Kills 8

[Stealth Hunter]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080216/drag_racing_080216/20080216?hub=TopStories

A car smashed into a crowd of spectators at an illegal street race in suburban Maryland Saturday, killing eight people and injuring five, police said.

A witness said two cars in the race passed them just before a car without its lights came upon the scene.

"There were just bodies everywhere; it was horrible," said Crystal Gaines, 27.
Her father William Gaines Sr., 61, was among the dead.

"He wasn't breathing, he wasn't moving," she said. "His body was in pieces."
John Courtney identified his brother Mark, 33, as being among the dead after being shown a photo by police.

"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."

One officer said the accident scene is one of the worst he's ever witnessed.

"This is a situation that could have been avoided, and it's a very tragic situation," said Prince George's County Police Cpl. Clinton Copeland.

The accident happened at about 3:40 a.m. local time. A white sedan apparently went out of control, striking people beside the two-lane road. The crime scene extends almost 200 metres.

Police Capt. Donald Frick said the driver didn't suffer any serious injuries, but a passenger is among the dead. Police have interviewed the driver, he said.

Copeland said it isn't known if the sedan's driver was involved in the race.

Several vehicles were also hit. A tractor-trailer that came upon the accident scene may have injured a person while trying to avoid the crash, police said.

The crash happened in Accokeek, about 30 kilometres south of Washington.

Investigators are on the scene trying to figure out what happened. They currently have "more questions than answers," Copeland said.

Terrible... just terrible.

EDIT:

Whoops. I see Neal has already made a thread on it. No matter, though. They've changed the number from 7 to 8.