Virginia State Police believe two cars were drag racing on Route 17 in York County before one car hit a pickup truck carrying a 2-year-old child, causing a three-car accident.
Justin Kurt Mechling, 28, of Yorktown, and Patric James Graham, 21, of Mathews County, are charged with street racing resulting in injuries after they crashed Sept. 7 while allegedly racing on Route 17 near Goosley Road, according to Virginia State Police spokeswoman Sgt. Michelle Anaya.
Mechling was also charged with reckless driving, according to online court records.
Police filed a search warrant Sept. 8 to analyze two computers from Mechling’s vehicle in connection with the crash. The incident is still under investigation, Anaya said.
Police believe Mechling, driving a 2015 Ford Focus, and Graham, driving a 2010 Mazda 6, were racing around 7:30 p.m. on Route 17 when Mechling attempted to change lanes, striking Graham’s car and a 2017 Dodge Ram, Anaya said.
The Dodge Ram, which was not involved in the alleged race, was carrying three people, Anaya said, one of which was a 2-year-old child.
After striking the two vehicles, Mechling’s Ford Focus flipped and rolled several times, totaling the vehicle, according to the Sept. 8 search warrant.
Mechling and the Dodge Ram’s driver and one passenger were injured in the incident, Anaya said.
Mechling was taken to Riverside Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to the warrant.
“Mechling clearly stated he was racing another vehicle to try and cut him off and crashed into both the other driver and the Dodge Ram,” the search warrant states.
Two computers in the Ford Focus, the airbag control module and the powertrain control module, could indicate the vehicle’s speed and other information about the crash, according to the search warrant affidavit.
The accident is still under criminal investigation, Anaya said.
Online court records show Mechling has previously been charged with other driving-related charges in York County including following too closely, operating an uninspected vehicle, improper exhaust system, speeding, and reckless driving.
Mechling is scheduled to appear in the York-Poquoson General District Court at 2 p.m. Nov. 21.
Graham was charged with operating defective equipment in York County in October 2012. He is scheduled to appear in York-Poquoson General District Court at 8 a.m. Dec. 5.
