Sunday afternoon Prince George County police were called to the 2100 block of Chillum Rd in Hyattsville Maryland for a vehicle crash involving a fire. After fleeing the scene of the first collision, the truck then slammed into the church van carrying 16 people, police said. “It went up in flames, just went up in flames”, Keiona Washington told WUSA9.
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He mentioned a few folks ran out on the road with kitchen hearth extinguishers “to attempt to get as shut as they may, however it was somewhat an excessive amount of”. White smoke billowed from the scene afterward. He added late Sunday that authorities weren’t but releasing the names or the id of the church group and drivers concerned whereas family have been being notified.
He said that 14 injured – six children and eight adults – had to be sent to several hospitals in the region. Eight people, including four children, were reported to be in critical condition while others allegedly suffered serious injuries, according to the Associated Press.
Santos says through a Spanish language translator that he rushed to the hospital after getting word of the crash and he spent most of Sunday night and all of Monday visiting with the injured members of his congregation.
Brady said police are still only in the early phases of investigating.
“Moments later, he lost control of the truck, crossed the double yellow line and struck the church van which had been heading eastbound on Chillum Road”, police say.
Witnesses say as the truck sped away it appeared to be already on fire, turning it into a bomb on wheels.
That toll could still rise, said officials of a crash that scarred everyone involved, even those who only watched it. A few bystander photos posted on social media showed flames rising above the crash site not far from the van, which Brady said could hold 15 passengers and had front-end damage from the crash.
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A van caught fire in the crash, reports WTOP.
