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Pain of race deaths lingers
Friday, Feb. 20, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photos by BRENDA AHEARN
A roadside memorial has been placed along Indian Head Highway for William Gaines who died at 61 one year ago in the street racing accident in Accokeek.
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As families gathered along Indian Head Highway on Monday, the scene evoked similarities to one year earlier — chilling temperatures, silence and a distant echo of sirens.
The memory was fresh for Wayne Courtney of Leonardtown. His brother, Mark Courtney, 34, also of Leonardtown, was among the eight people who died Feb. 16, 2008, in a gruesome 3 a.m. street racing accident that rocked southern Prince George's County, after a vehicle plowed into a crowd of more than 200 spectators who had gathered to watch. Eight others were injured.
"It's like living it all over again," Wayne Courtney said Monday night. "It takes your breath away."
The crash, which shattered the lives of so many, has forever linked the families and friends of the deceased. Brought together by tragedy, about 50 mourners — black, white, old, young — gathered Monday night to commemorate the one-year anniversary of a common and popular underground pastime that went horribly wrong.
Police allege that Tavon J. Taylor, 19, and, Darren Jamar Bullock, 22, both of Waldorf, plowed into the crowd after they battled in a separate street race farther up the highway, driving at more than 100 mph with their headlights turned off and blinded by smoke from the other race.
Without hesitation, Scott Gaines of Accokeek remembers rushing to Indian Head Highway, near the intersection with Pine Drive, early that morning after learning his brother, William Henry Gaines, 61, of Nanjemoy, had been injured.
"It was so cold, so very cold," Scott Gaines said. "Their bodies were frozen to the ground."
Another brother, Roland Gaines of Accokeek, pensively recalled receiving a call from his niece, who had been watching the race, and arrived on the scene before the responding ambulance.
The stretch of highway was dark, and it was hard to see, Roland Gaines recalled. Bodies scattered alongside the road and in the grassy median were barely visible.
"You really had to look," he said.
It was a horrific scene. Some spectators had been hit by vehicles that were not involved in the race and had been dragged for yards, and one person was decapitated.
After a six-month investigation, the two men were charged in July with eight counts of vehicular manslaughter, reckless driving and illegal racing. Taylor's trial is scheduled to begin May 4, while Bullock's will begin July 20.
However, the two young men's names were never mentioned Monday night, and the race was not discussed.
Instead, with music, candles and prayers, families placed flowers, teddy bears and posters along the grassy strip, sharing photos and stories.
Earlier in the day, families of those who died visited the crash site to lay fresh flowers and mementos to remember the lives lost.
"It doesn't seem real," said Kristy Holmes, sister of Otis Ray Williams, 35, of Indian Head, who was killed. "It's hard for everybody."
Holmes, along with Williams' son and fiancee, came dressed in shirts and jackets with photos of Williams to honor a man they said was full of life and an avid fan of race cars.
"I try not to come by myself," said Williams' fiancee, Tawanda Butler of Suitland, as she fought back tears. "It's been hard. You wish it never happened."
Ervin Lee Gardner Jr., 39, of Oxon Hill; Daryl Anthony Wills, 38, of Clinton; Maycol Lopez, 20, of Gaithersburg; Milton Jerome Pinkney, 41, of Aquasco; and Blaine Anthony Briscoe, 49, of La Plata were also killed in the crash.
During the vigil, Daryl Wills' cousin, Diane Cook of Washington, D.C., spoke to the growing crowd about the need to spread unity and love. Her voice echoed through the empty highway corridor.
Cook said the unexpected death of her cousin has brought her family a newfound unity and close-knit camaraderie that was missing before.
"It wasn't by accident that things like this happen," Cook said. She encouraged those gathered to reach out to those around them and offer friendship.
Life is uncertain, she said, but the death of loved ones should be a reminder to be grateful for the opportunity God has given.
The crash site — a fairly flat and straight section of Indian Head Highway, uncluttered by stoplights and with few homes or businesses — is just a few miles from Scott Gaines' home.
While he is still trying to fully accept his brother's death, Scott Gaines said he is not angry at Taylor or Bullock.
"They need punishment, but not life in jail," said Scott Gaines, who said he will not be going to the men's trials.
Young men make mistakes, he said. "I've made mistakes too."
Scott Gaines, who said he, too, sped along highways in excess of 100 mph in his youth, hopes this accident, a tragedy for so many families, will become an example to others to slow down, day or night, and obey the speed limit.
He said the road where his brother died is a common route to his work and has become a daily reminder of the tragedy. "It's really tough," he said.
As the memorial came to a close, ambulances and fire trucks raced down Indian Head Highway – a final, chilling reminder for mourners of the fateful scene that unfolded a year ago.
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