Five children dead in Maryland crash after vehicle goes off the road

Five children, aged five to 15, lost their lives after the car they were in went off the road and collided with several trees.

The tragedy took place on Saturday morning, February 2, 2019, shortly before 5 a.m., on Route 301 in Prince George's County, Maryland.

It has been reported that the car they were riding in, a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica, was traveling northbound and that two adults were also in the vehicle.

THEY HAD THEIR WHOLE LIVES AHEAD OF THEM

The Maryland State Police quickly rushed to the scene after being notified by the fire department. The children died on site while the two adults, Dominique R. Taylor, 32, and Cornell D. Simon, 23, were injured.

The children were identified by the police as Paris Dixon, five, London Dixon, Rickelle Ricks, 6, Zion Beard, 14, and Damari Herald, 15. The first two were from Bowie, Maryland, while the other three were from Washington D.C.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The case is currently under investigation but it is believed that, unlike Taylor and Simon, neither of the children was wearing a seat belt as they traveled in the rear seats.

The proper authorities are yet to comprehend how the crash came to be. Even though the roads were icy, they are still trying to figure out what caused Taylor, the driver, to lose control of the vehicle.

THE GOVERNOR'S REACTION

The car hit several trees after going off the road and spun around in the snow, where it stopped. Upon learning that five children had been killed in the crash, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan wasted no time addressing it.

"Deeply saddened by this tragic auto accident in Prince George's County. Praying for everyone involved, including first responders."

Larry Hogan, Twitter, February 2, 2019

Last year, five children were also involved in a car crash after the car they were in was struck by a van in San Angelo, Texas, but four of them managed to survive.

Angela, 8, Zackary, 6, Wyatt, 5, and Nicholas, 2, were rushed to the Cook Children's Medical Center while their parents, Karisa and Jim Clemens, as well as 2-month-old sister Juliana, perished on site.

With no one to claim the hospital expenses, their aunt, Teresa Burrell, decided to create a donation account on Facebook and managed to raise a total of $160,000, more than enough to cover the medical bills.