Video shows drag racing crash in Grand Rapids
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Video obtained by News 8 captures two drivers drag racing in Grand Rapids early Sunday morning and crashing into two other vehicles.
The crash sent a woman to the hospital with serious injuries.
“It’s almost like it’s a video game,” Grand Rapids Deputy Police Chief Joe Trigg told News 8. “(Drivers) don’t realize the dangers of it.”
The video shows one driver in a Ford Mustang and another in a grey Infiniti speeding down Front Avenue just after midnight Sunday. As they approached a flashing red light at the Sixth Street intersection, instead of stopping, the Mustang rammed into a car that had the right of way.
“Driving speeds like that in the city, it doesn’t give you any time to stop and respond,” Trigg said. “You’re coming up to the intersection that quick, there’s no time to brake.”
The crash sent the Mustang spinning toward another parked vehicle. The woman inside the parked car was seriously injured and taken to the hospital. Her injuries are not considered life-threatening.
“It’s just a reminder of how dangerous this situation is and how precious life is,” Trigg said.
He said the driver of the first car struck at the intersection could have been seriously hurt.
“Another second that that car is passing east of that intersection, it’s more of a T-bone type to where it’s definitely more fatal, especially if there’s more passengers in that car,” he said.
Things could also have been much worse for the woman in the parked car who was seriously injured, Trigg said.
“Luckily for those that were passengers in the vehicle that were parked legally roadside, a lot of the speed had been dumped to the (first) collision that they didn’t get more seriously injured,” he said.
“That’s the saddest part, right?” he continued. “Sometimes people have no idea what’s going on, what’s lurking around them.”
It’s the latest example of reckless driving that police have seen across Grand Rapids. Many of them involving stolen Kias or Hyundais have led to crashes.
“We’re trying to solve these hit-and-run type incidents involving these vehicles that are driving with no due regard or safety of anybody else in mind,” Trigg said.
In August 2022, a stolen Kia crashed into a Grand Rapids pottery studio in the middle of the night. The driver smashed the car 15 feet into the building, wrecking the garage door and destroying dozens of specially crafted pots.
“It’s a problem right now,” Trigg said. “I just want everyone to know how dangerous it is. We need everyone’s help.”
Police have not released the names of those involved in the drag racing crash. Police said the driver of the red Mustang is cooperating with the investigation.
The driver of the grey Infiniti avoided the crash and took off, police said. Police are asking for your help in finding that driver.
“We need any footage they might have, surveillance footage from their cell phones, who they might know,” he said. “Somebody knows something – please share.”
If you know anything, contact the Grand Rapids Police Department’s traffic unit at 616.456.3771 or Silent Observer at 616.774.2345.
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker told News 8 on Monday that he hasn’t yet received anything from police about any charges against the drivers. Police say their investigation is ongoing.
“We’ve got our investigators out on it still probably right now because it’s of utmost importance to us, figuring out exactly what happened and everybody that was involved,” Trigg said.
He said police will hold people accountable for this kind of behavior.
“There’s going to be consequences for involvement of this,” He said. “We’ve got to get the message out there that speed is still the no. 1 complaint in this city with how people are driving.”
Source: WOODTV.com
