PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. (WUSA9) -- A horrifying crash between a pickup truck and a van leaves at least four people dead tonight in Prince George’s.
Emergency responders say 18 people were involved in the three vehicle crash and explosion that left more than a dozen people seriously hurt.
This terrible incident started around 5 p.m. with a smaller crash down the road, when a white pickup truck rear-ended a Cadillac sedan.
Witnesses say as the truck sped away it appeared to be already on fire, turning it into a bomb on wheels.
The collision between the pickup truck and a van packed with people ignited an inferno.
Those who saw it happen couldn’t believe their eyes.
"He just flew up the road, he hit the van and just smack. The impact was so fast, it was crazy. It went up in flames, just went up in flames,” said Keiona Washington.
“It was really hard to see, to watch him drive by on fire and not stopping at all, to run into that family,” said Patricia Lesane.
The van did have a large number of people inside of it, and that’s unfortunately where a majority of the fatalities and injuries occurred, said Mark Brady, Prince George’s County Fire and EMS.
Rescue workers swarmed the scene, triaging 14 surviving victims and sending them by ambulance and helicopter to hospitals across the region.
Six of the wounded were children. Four are hurt critically.
A lot of the firefighters and paramedics that were first to arrive are, uh, in need of someone to talk to. It’s not an easy job when it comes to this, especially when it involves children, said Brady.
When the smoke cleared, four people had lost their lives on the scene, including the driver of the truck, a child and two other adults.
That toll could still rise, said officials of a crash that scarred everyone involved, even those who only watched it.
“The first thing I did was call my mom and tell her I loved her. It’s just crazy that you can lose your life in a split second like that,” said Lesane. “I had never, ever, ever seen or experienced anything like this before.”
No word yet tonight on what caused the initial accident, or why the driver sped off, but investigators remain on the scene, and will likely be here through the night.
