Seven killed in US after car crashes in crowd at drag race
Saturday, 16 Feb 2008 19:12
Police claim seven people were killed in the crash
Seven people have been killed in the United States after a car crashed into a crowd of people watching an illegal drag race, police in Maryland said.
Four other people were injured and were taken to a nearby hospital.
Prince George's County Police corporal Clinton Copeland said: "It's probably one of the worst scenes I've seen.
"This is a situation that could have been avoided and it's a very tragic situation."
Police reported that a white sedan lost control on Route 210 in Accokeek, which is around 20 miles from Washington, at about 03:40 (08:40 GMT).
It went on to hit people standing on the roadside, as well as other vehicles and was followed by a tractor-trailer.
Corporal Copeland claimed investigators had "more questions than answers".
Witnesses told the Associated Press news agency that a crowd of around 50 people had been watching two cars race past when a car with no lights on veered into them.
"There were just bodies everywhere; it was horrible," Crystal Gaines, whose father was killed in the accident, told the Associated Press.
"He wasn't breathing, he wasn't moving. His body was in pieces," she said.
Police said that the driver of the sedan did not appear to be seriously hurt but a passenger was among the dead.