Erie police are searching for a blue Honda suspected of racing another car along East 38th Street moments before a violent crash that sent five people to the hospital on Thursday night.
The accident was so severe that the engine and transmission of one of the vehicles was knocked 239 feet down the roadway, Sgt. Thomas Dunmire, an accident investigator with the Erie Bureau of Police, said Friday morning.
The crash happened on East 38th Street at Old French Road and was reported on Thursday at 9:11 p.m., according to Erie County 911.
A Tesla was traveling west on East 38th Street and was believed to have been racing with a Honda when the Tesla hit a Chrysler 300 that was facing east and was turning north onto Old French Road, Dunmire said. The Tesla and the Chrysler collided at a very high rate of speed, he said.
The Honda then fled the scene, and police are looking for the vehicle and its driver, Dunmire said.
The Tesla was occupied by one person, and four people were in the Chrysler, Dunmire said. All were taken to the hospital, he said.
The driver of the Tesla was released from the hospital Friday morning after treatment. Police are awaiting the opportunity to speak to the driver, Dunmire said.
The driver of the Chrysler was critically injured in the crash, according to police. The other three occupants of the vehicle are juveniles and also remained hospitalized Friday morning, Dunmire said.
More: Summit man pleads to homicide by vehicle in 2022 crash in Erie that killed 9-year-old boy
Erie police were sent to the accident scene along with ambulances and Engine Companies 6, 8 and 12 from the Erie Bureau of Fire.
Investigators on Friday were working to obtain surveillance video from properties in proximity to the accident scene, Dunmire said. Police were also working to obtain video from a vehicle that was in the area at the time of the crash, he said.
Police are additionally looking for anyone who might have witnessed the crash, Dunmire added.
Anyone with information that could assist Erie police in finding the Honda or with information that could aid in the investigation is asked to call Dunmire at 814-870-1171.
Contact Tim Hahn at [email protected]. Follow him on X @ETNhahn
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Street racing suspected in violent crash on E. 38th Street in Erie PA
Source Agencies
