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Join Date: Apr 2002
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Gary, IN police incapable of finding two kids who died in a car crash
4 kids, 2 found in car, 2 went missing until father finds them on his own
Quote:
The driver in a single-car crash in which two teens were killed said Monday that he pleaded with police to find his missing friends, but Gary police said the driver and another survivor had been drinking alcohol and were unclear about details—including whether there were other passengers in the car.
Darius Moore said that after his car crashed into a ditch early Saturday when a tire blew, the responding officer seemed more interested in the status of his license than his two missing passengers, Dominique Green and Brandon Smith, both 18, whose bodies were found by relatives seven hours after the accident.
"I'm telling [the officer] about my injuries and my two friends and the accident, and he tells me to sit on the curb," Moore said from a bed in his home, where he is recovering after 60 staples were put into his arms and waist. "They're probably saying I was delirious, but at the same time I gave the police my brother's cell-phone number and my mother's cell-phone number."
But Gary Police Chief Thomas Houston pointed out that no matter how fast the department's response had been, neither Green nor Smith could have been saved. The Lake County, Ind., coroner determined that both died instantly in the crash, he said.
"Law enforcement did not cause this accident and these deaths," Houston said at a news conference at police headquarters. "What we do know is that no matter how much emergency equipment had been in place . . . death for those two teens was instantaneous."
As for the delay and inability to find the bodies, Houston said, Moore and DeAndre Anderson, 17, who crawled from the ditch and walked to a nearby home for help, weren't clear whether they had dropped off Green and Smith or if the two were still with the wrecked car. Both had been ejected from the vehicle.
But Moore denied he had been confused about his friends' whereabouts. All four were seniors at Gary West High School.
"How could I have dropped [Dominique] off anywhere when his car is still here?" said Moore, pointing out the window. "We were all coming back to my place."
According to the police chief, the two survivors had been at a "club" that night where alcohol may have been served. One of them had a blood-alcohol level of 0.05 and the other had a level of 0.09—above the legal limit of 0.08 for an adult, Houston said.
Moore denied that he had been drinking while driving or that there had been any alcohol in the car.
The crash occurred at about 3 a.m. Saturday on Chase Street near where it passes over Interstate Highway 80/94. The car flew over the median and crashed into a guardrail before rolling into a ditch. All four passengers, who police said were not wearing seat belts, were thrown from the car.
Moore said when he regained consciousness, he was outside of the vehicle and began calling to his friends. He couldn't find Green and Smith, so he helped Anderson to the top of the ravine. The two teens walked along Chase Street, banging on the doors of houses and screaming for help.
Police said a homeowner called 911 about two suspicious strangers. When police arrived on the scene, an ambulance was called and the two men were taken to the hospital for their injuries.
Later, local law enforcement and emergency personnel searched the area for the two missing friends that Moore had mentioned might be still with the wreckage, police said.
"The officers did search the area," said Gary Police Cmdr. Sam Roberts. "They even had the car lifted and looked underneath the vehicle to see if the bodies had been there. Finding none, the accident report at that time was completed, and the area was cleared and the vehicle towed."
But Smith's uncle, Darren, who searched for the two boys with Smith's father, Arthur, after the unsuccessful attempt by police, said his nephew's body was located just 10 feet from where the car came to a stop.
He shook his head as he recalled the bloody scene, his nephew's body partially coated in leaves and dirt.
"That's the worst I've ever felt in my life," Darren Smith said.
Gary Mayor Rudy Clay said he would work with police and emergency officials to try to ensure that this kind of mishap never happened again.
"If I had been there, I certainly would have called the Fire Department or police for more help," said Clay, though he stressed that because he was not there he would not place blame on anyone.
Darren Smith, who is a Gary firefighter, said the family plans to have an independent autopsy conducted to try to determine whether his nephew's death was instantaneous.
Officials at Gary West High School said counselors were working with students to help them deal with the tragedy.
All four students were on track to graduate and were in good standing at the school, said Sarita Stevens, a spokeswoman for Gary public schools. Though Moore was released from the hospital, Anderson remains hospitalized following surgery, she said.
In his family's apartment Monday, Moore's friends from school filled his bedroom, offering support and condolences. On his dresser sat a picture of him with Dominique and Brandon.
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