Three people were hospitalized Saturday after a race between two vehicles ended when one hydroplaned and smashed into a tree, ejecting the driver who was then dragged about 4 miles by the other vehicle in the race.
Maj. Stephen Rubino of the James City County Police Department said two vehicles were traveling west at a high rate of speed on the 8900 block of Richmond Road —that’s about 1 mile west of Anderson’s Corner in Toano — when a 1997 Volkswagen sedan driven by a Lanexa man hydroplaned, spun several times and smashed into a tree near James City Recycling. That collision ejected the 31-year-old driver, who was then struck by the second vehicle, a 1995 Honda sedan driven by a 22-year-old Providence Forge man.
The Lanexa man was then stuck beneath the Honda and dragged about 4 miles. The driver of that car told officers he thought he had struck vehicle debris from the crash, Rubino said. It was not until the vehicle made it to New Kent County that the driver was alerted a body was beneath his vehicle by another driver. The Honda driver told police he and the Volkswagen driver had been involved in a race.
Two 8-year-olds, a boy and a girl, were in the Volkswagen when it crashed into the tree. The girl, who is being treated for non-life threatening injuries, and the man who was dragged, who is being treated for serious injuries, were taken to MCV Hospital in Richmond. The boy was taken to Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center where he is receiving treatment for non-life threatening injuries.
Rubino said the relationship between the children and the driver of the Volkswagen remains unclear. Alcohol and drugs are not believed to have been a factor in the crash. Police continue to investigate the crash, and no charges have been filed at this time.
The crash resulted in the closure of the westbound lanes on the 8900 block of Richmond Road for several hours while the scene was investigated.
