A car plowed into a crowd that had gathered to watch a street race on a suburban road early Saturday, killing seven people and injuring at least four, police said.
Witnesses said they had just watched two cars in the illegal street race speed past when a car without any lights on came up behind them and veered into a crowd of about 50.
“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.”
A 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, but it wasn't clear whether that was one of the cars involved in the race.
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.”
Four people were taken to hospitals, Copeland said. Their conditions weren't immediately known.
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. Watch sheet-covered bodies lying along road »
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. Learn about street racing »
The driver of the white sedan had been interviewed and did not appear to be seriously hurt, but a passenger was among the dead, Police Capt. Donald Frick said.
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.
