Columbus, OHIt has become an increasingly common complaint. [Car accidents] are being caused by street races and their effects are often deadly. However, it is often not the street racers that are injured in the automobile accidents, but innocent people simply driving their cars and minding their own business.
"I was the victim of a hit and run, street racing incident," says Deon L. "I was stopped at a red light and was rear-ended by a car going about 50 mph. The driver of the car was racing another vehicle. There was a witness who called the police." However, according to Deon, the driver of the vehicle that hit him ran away from the scene, taking his papers and his car stereo. The driver then reported his car stolen and denied any involvement in Deon's accident.
"I later identified him from police photos and he was found guilty," Deon says. "However, his insurance company still refused to accept liability for another several months. For 7 months, I was without transportation with an injured back and neck.
"My car was completely wrecked, which I have been compensated for. However, I suffered a neck and back injury, and was admitted to the ER, and sought treatment from a chiropractor. I still have back pain, and recently had to go back to [the] ER due to chronic lower back pain."
Street racing is becoming more and more prevalent, and as the speeds increase so does the likelihood of serious injury. In Buffalo, New York, a woman and her son were seriously injured when they were hit head-on by two cars believed to be involved in a street race.
Meanwhile, a 9 year old girl was killed when a silver Mustang involved in a street race hit the vehicle she was riding in. The SUV the girl was in flipped over and hit a utility pole after it was clipped by the Mustang. The girl's mother was seriously injured in the incident, while the driver of the Mustang left the scene of the accident and has not yet been found.
Street races rarely end without incident—there is simply too much that can go wrong. When traveling at fast speeds it is difficult to control a car. Perhaps the car cannot be stopped in time for a red light or a slow moving vehicle, or pehaps the driver pulls out to pass a slower vehicle and hits one coming in the opposite direction. It could be as simple as the driver of the car losing control and hitting someone else.
Regardless of how it happens, it is frequently the other drivers on the road, or their passengers, who are seriously injured or killed because of the reckless driver. They are left wondering why someone would have so little regard for other people's lives that they are comfortable driving at unsafe speeds, putting everyone else's life in jeopardy.
Sadly, it seems that street racing is becoming more common and innocent families are left devastated because of it.