Street Racing Deaths

[DownHillPhil]

Originally Posted by dump truck

i understand what your trying to say, but law enforcement, fire departments, paramedics and emergency room staff are affected.

Of course...that's their job. You know what I meant though.

If I hit someone while driving recklessly I'd rather the innocent person get taken in the first ambulance, even if I was in worse shape.

[G-Ride]

Originally Posted by Jordansrealm

It all depends on how you look at things. Your comment in response to his was directed at him if you ask me. You quoted his sentence in your reply. Usually that means you are directing it towards the person who made the comment. Once again though I think it depends on who reads what and how that person takes it. I always say if you are curious about what someone says then ask them how they meant it.

There were several posts that I wanted to quote, but I am not that good at html, and his post was the most recent. I made a point to make general statements. You will notice that my comments were mostly in third person plural. Again, I quoted his comment to simply to illustrate my point, as it seemed to define the position of several of you. You are all entitled to your opinion, and to post it here. If any of my comments were taken personally, I apologize.

[DownHillPhil]

Originally Posted by G-Ride

There were several posts that I wanted to quote, but I am not that good at html, and his post was the most recent. I made a point to make general statements. You will notice that my comments were mostly in third person plural. Again, I quoted his comment to simply to illustrate my point, as it seemed to define the position of several of you. You are all entitled to your opinion, and to post it here. If any of my comments were taken personally, I apologize.

it's all good brotha!

[foofighter]

speaking of racing...i nearly got taken out tonight when i was going home tonight on the 73 toll road during rush hour of all things. Some twit kid in a late gen MkV VW GTi with a license plate VWTESTER (or or something like that) was weaving in and out of traffic. got up to me and squeezed by me and another truck that he nearly clipped my passenger front...seriously i understand a little spirited driving but when it's rush hour with innocent people driving home...

[SAR_boats]

I don't really see much difference between the greasers who were tuning up flatheads with Offy intakes and Fenton headers and the ricers of today who use nitrous, turbos and electronics. A gearhead is a gearhead.

I am truly sorry that people died in the process of this race. Obviously some would wave the common sense flag, but then again, some might wave it at us for riding down a mountain on a bicycle. Just perspective.

Before we cast judgement upon the deceased, pehaps we can look at ourselves and realize that we do stoopid things too, depending on others point of view.

Personally, I wanna know who won the race. Afte all, a gearhead is a gearhead

[bighit8]

Originally Posted by Collette

I never understood the appeal. There are better places to be in the middle of the night, and watching an illegal street race, no matter how exciting, just isn't one of them.

Edit: If I've offended anyone I do apologize. No person ever deserves to die, and any death, no matter the circumstance, is a tragedy.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...racing-ON.html

ACCOKEEK, Md. - A car plowed into a crowd that had gathered to watch a drag race on a suburban road early Saturday, killing eight people and injuring at least five, police said.

Police said the white sedan was not involved in the street race but accidentally drove into the crowd of about 50 people that had spilled onto the highway to watch two racing cars speed off.

“There were just bodies everywhere; it was horrible,” said Crystal Gaines, 27, whose father was among the dead.


Gaines said she grabbed her child but could not help her father, William Gaines Sr., 61.

“He wasn't breathing, he wasn't moving,” she said. “His body was in pieces.”

Gaines said the car did not have its lights on, but police could not confirm that.

The white sedan hit people standing on the side of Route 210 around 3:40 a.m., 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.”

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

Hours after the accident on the divided highway in Accokeek, bodies covered in white sheets were scattered along what police were calling a 200-yard crime scene. Some were in the road, while others were on the shoulder.

The sedan came to a rest on an embankment about 150 feet from where the crowd had been. It had a crumpled front and hood, and the roof had partially collapsed.

The driver of the white sedan had been interviewed and did not appear to be seriously hurt, Police Capt. Donald Frick said. Police said a body found in the car was one of the spectators and not a passenger as they had previously reported.

According to police, two cars had lined up for a race on the smooth and relatively flat and straight stretch of highway. They spun their wheels, kicking up smoke, then sped off, Copeland said.

The crowd then moved into the road to watch the cars drive away. The combination of the smoke and the dark morning likely meant the driver of the approaching white sedan could not see the crowd. No charges were pending.

Authorities were looking for the drivers of the two cars involved in the race.

Authorities were working to identify the victims by showing digital photos of them to bystanders who said loved ones had been hurt. John Courtney said after viewing one of the images that his brother, Mark, 33, was among the dead.

“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.” Investigators had “more questions than answers,” Copeland said.

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. In that area, the road is flanked by some businesses but has little traffic in the early hours, Copeland said.

Frick said it's common in the summer for police to deal with reports of motorcycles racing on the highway, which is relatively smooth with long straightaways, but he said they have not had as much of an issue with cars.

I heard about that of 97.1 today on frosty, Heidie and frank.People?