Feb 19, 2008 11:33 am US/Eastern
Witnesses Describe Street Racing Crash
Reporting
Adam May
ACCOKEEK, Md. (WJZ/AP) ―
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Residents who live near the Maryland highway where eight people were killed say they have long complained about reckless driving and street racing.
The deaths of eight people killed during an illegal street race continue to make national headlines.
It happened early Saturday morning in Accokeek, Prince George's County.
Adam May reports there is plenty of fallout after the deadly incident.
Mourners bringing flowers to the site of the accident stumbled upon more body parts Monday.
Tammy Simms remembers one friend who died, and now waits as her husband Craig recovers at Baltimore's Shock Trauma.
"He broke his arm, his thigh, his tibia. He doesn't really remember anything. He remembers his friend holding him 'til help came," said Simms.
Eight people died when a large group stepped into a cloud of exhaust and burning rubber to watch an underground street race.
At the same time, a young man coming down the highway in a Crown Victoria, unrelated to the race, plowed into the crowd.
"It's a sport. It's a sport that everybody likes. You've gotta be into racing, I guess," said G. Dyson, a street racer who survived.
Dyson says he's a street racer himself. He says there are many members of his group who are actually designated to keep an eye out for police and other cars along 210.
He says he was standing near the scene, but he never saw the Crown Victoria coming.
"Nobody saw the car, and when it came through here, people were flying everywhere hitting people. That's something you're not suppose to see. That's how messed up it was. I couldn't even believe it with my own eyes," said Dyson.
Police say they have no evidence of criminal wrongdoing by the driver of the Crown Victoria. They stop short of blaming the victims.
People in the area claim that they've been complaining about the crowd and the racers there for months.
"We've called the cops a number of times, but unfortunately police officers would not show up. We're hoping that someone would make a stand and change," said Martina Simms.
Prince George's County police say they are well aware that the area is a hot spot for those types of activities, but they say by the time they get out there, the crowds have dissipated because some carry police scanners to avoid being caught.
Authorities have released the names of the remaining two victims in the crash.
Otis Williams, 35, of Indian Head, and Milton Pinkney, 41, of La Plata, were among those killed, Prince George's County police said.
Police previously identified the six other victims as Mark Courtney, 33, of Leonardtown; Daryl Wills, 38, of Clinton; Maycol Lopez, 20, of Gaithersburg; Blaine Briscoe, 49, of La Plata; William Gaines, 61, of Nanjemoy; and Ervin Gardner, 39, of Oxon Hill.
Witnesses are asked to call the Prince George's County Police Department's Collision Analysis Unit at
301-731-4422. People who want to remain anonymous can call
1-866-411-TIPS.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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