BREAKING NEWS UPDATE
Witness says another car was at fatal crash scene
Pilot Hill resident was turned away after she offered help
A witness to the immediate aftermath of a fatal car accident this weekend said young men turned her away when she approached the scene. Pilot Hill resident and Auburn Realtor Wendy Williams with Connect Realty said there is more to the deadly car accident that killed three people than is being reported. Williams said she and her husband came upon the accident scene on Salmon Falls Road before police arrived early Sunday morning. Williams said she was dozing on and off while her husband drove but awoke when the car slowed and she and her husband saw three men wandering on the two-lane road. The men – and scattered car parts all over the road – were illuminated by a set of headlights, Williams said. Instantly, Williams said she and her husband were concerned because they could tell a crash had occured. “We pulled up on the scene and there’s three guys in the road and they said no one was hurt and no one else was involved,” Williams said Tuesday. Williams said she and her husband repeatedly asked if they needed help. She said they told the men they had blankets in the car and a first-aid kit. “The men in the road sent us away and did not want us to get out of the car,” Williams said. “We both had really strong feelings that something wasn’t right and there was more going on than what’s being said.” One young man, who was wearing a white-and-black shirt, told the couple that a neighbor had driven up on a four-wheeler and was going back home to grab an ice pack for one man walking around with an injured arm. Williams said the one man’s tone was “nonchalant” as he told her and her husband that the police had already been called and that the accident happened when the driver was trying to swerve to miss hitting an animal they couldn’t identify. Williams said after repeated offers of help were denied, the couple eventually drove past the crash scene to make it to their home off Salmon Falls Road. Williams said she could tell there were two cars involved but said it was hard to see other details of the scene because it was dark. She and her husband were planning to call 9-1-1 when they arrived home a few minutes later. However, as they were walking up their driveway, they saw a helicopter fly by and heard ambulance sirens making their way to the scene. The next morning, Williams was driving to work between 11:30 and 11:45 a.m. when she saw a large group of police cars along the road near the accident site. “Police were all over the place,” Williams recalled. “They don’t send that out if you hit an animal.” She said she was driving through the scene slowly when she made eye contact with the man who had turned her away from the scene just 12 hours earlier. Williams said when she later saw a television news van at the site, her uneasiness that there was more to the accident than she was told was heightened. She asked her daughter to record the news and when she got home she discovered that three people were killed in the accident. She said she immediately called the California Highway Patrol Office Monday morning and left messages for the investigating officer. She said she tried calling again Tuesday morning but still hasn’t heard back. CHP spokesman Dan Stark said Tuesday that the investigating officer works the graveyard shift and said that is the reason he has most likely not returned Williams’ call. Stark indicated that Williams’ story would be of high interest to the officer. “We’re definitely going to be contacting her,” Stark said. “On something like this we need to make sure we cover all bases.” Williams said she was surprised to hear that the deadly crash was reported as a single-vehicle accident when she saw two cars. She said looking back she can’t imagine why the three men walking around the scene would turn away help for the people in need. “That man sent us away,” Williams said. “We were ready, willing and able to help and possibly help those people instead of letting them lay dying. “I’m not saying I could’ve kept them alive but we could’ve at least put a blanket on people.” Williams said she could not get a good description of the car but described the one man who talked to her and her husband as wearing a white and black shirt with tan/brown skin. She said he had dark brown hair. Williams said she later stopped by the site and prayed for the people who died. “It’s horrid – I really feel for the families,” Williams said. She said she is very upset over the thought that someone turned away help for others who were in pain or dying. “Sometimes in life-and-death situations all people need are little pieces of hope to cling to,” Williams said. “People survive all kinds of things sometimes in critical situations. The guy on the street took away any chances of help or comfort.” Jenifer Gee can be reached at jeniferg@goldcountrymedia.com. ---------- A friend speaks out A friend of those involved in a car accident that killed three contacted the Journal via e-mail after reading Wendy Williams’ account online. Nick Jake said those at the scene were “traumatized by the accident and what they saw.” Jake, who said the three men Williams is talking about are “personal friends of mine and have each discussed the carnage at the scene.” “The man turned them away because the two were dead, the third was brain dead and couldn’t have been helped,” Jake wrote in an e-mail. Jake continued to say that it was a one-car accident and the vehicle involved “wrapped around a tree.” He said the drivers were not drifting and not racing. “The vehicle they were driving is obviously a high-performance machine in the hands of an inexperienced driver, also a personal friend of mine,” Jake wrote. “He is going to have to live the rest of his life wishing it was him rather than them. R.I.P. Alex and the other passengers.” ----------
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Kind of sounds like the men who turned her away, may have been the other car in a street race? Fatalities in a case like this have brought serious charges against participants, in other cases. Is this a case for the El Dorado Sheriff/DA? I think that road is in County jurisdiction, is it not?
Where did the other car go? Did they take off before the police / ambulance got there? This story just took a major turn.
I think I'll save the word "tragedy" for other events, now that the story is emerging.
A tragedy to me is when a good thing goes bad.
I'll go with "terrible".
How do you get to terrible? When a bad thing get's worse.
And now three people were killed by the apparent negligence of one.
Fine street racers $5000 for their first offense.
And $10,000 and loss of license for 10 years for the second.
And if Johney wants to build a rocket sled in the garage while living under your roof to race on our public roads then be prepared to be legally responsible for the damage that occures when this bad thing gets worse.
Why have her phone calls been not returned by the CHP? She can ID one of them, if he was close enough to be at the scene the next morning he doesn't live far. This could be a case similar to the one in Sacramento off of Winding Way where the girls where chased down & wrecked. That case was orignally reported as the girls drinking & driving and to much speed for the road. But now all is said and done there was another vehicle giving chase. Some people find it fun to chase down cars in the middle of night on isolated roads. I have had it happen to me one minute your alone on the road the next thing you know there headlights on your bumber.
There is much more detective work to be done here at least find the truth for all the families sake. I am not going to be one to lean towards street racing just yet. Lets not be to quick to judge the driver just yet because there is a whole lot more to the story we dont know yet.
We need to know who these 3 men are that she saw? What they were doing there? Why they turned away offers of help?
Wendy don't feel bad for not being able to help maybe your presence wasn't to help but to make sure the truth be told.
I know she meant well, but going to the media like this before speaking with the CHP could jeopardize a case. You should ask to speak with a Sergeant or the watch officer if you feel you have information that is vital and urgent.
I think this highlights why it is best to not make snap decisions of someones guilt based on what you see or read in the media. 35 mph can be excessive speed on this road, inexperience and unfamiliarity with this road in particular can have devastating consequences. I'm not saying there wasn't racing going on, I'm saying we need to be very careful about expecting quick and easy answers and assigning blame this early in the investigation. It only compounds the pain of the people involved. Let the CHP do their job, if blame is to be assigned they should be the ones to do so, not us.
When I first read this story it DID seem premature! I could be wrong and am not judging at all but why did we need a picture, realtor status, and who she sells realty for? I just didn't see the need. Did she contact the journal? I mean her no disrespect if she truly is 100 % just trying to help. Prayers go out to the families and hope for no extra drama while grieving.
"CHP says another car with friends of the victims was in the area and came upon the crash"
http://cbs13.com/local/el.dorado.crash.2.1342578.html
Is there some reason why the model/make of car can't be reported?
What really amazes me is that if the story is accurate there were people there that were sending help away when two of their friends lay dead and two were injured. These kids apparently had more concern about covering up for themselves or friends than for human life.
It may be premature but if I am correct, these people are no better than a gang banger that fires out the window of a car.
What was this "high performance machine"? If it was a Honda Civic it is definitely not a high performance machine.
loomis, please read again, all the way through. Yes, your comment is premature so why make it? No better than gang bangers? They probably spared this woman a sight that would haunt her, trust me. They weren't going to be able to do anything with a first aid kit. The kids had already called 911, and were trying to cope with the death of their friends and what was probably a devastating scene, maybe at that moment the last thing they wanted was two strangers who couldn't make one bit of difference making the situation worse and being useless on the sidelines. Wanting to help and being able to are two different things.
Again, everyone, we need to stop making snap decisions and spreading the blame around. So far the driver, the parents, the friends, society and liberals are all at fault, according to the comments. You are compounding the pain of the people truly impacted by this, this is what bothers me about this forum sometimes. There is no filter and no recognition of consequences from poorly chosen words. You may all be correct, or you may be wrong. It's no real consequence for you if you are, but it is a consequence to those involved, as false accusations only make everything worse for them.
Do let me get this straight here i am reading this correctly??? They turned away help yet none of them were medically qualified/educated to make that call. How would these "friends" be able to make that detrimination of brain dead or any other injuries. He said "they could not be helped" What gave them the right to make that call. Anybody else want to chime in?
Yes, localgirl, I'll chime in. You don't always have to have to be medically qualified to know when someone is dead or have sustained enough major trauma to the head that they will not recover. I don't think you've seen what happens or you wouldn't say that. Not to mention, they were in shock, clearly.
You guys will get your answers, just accept that you will have to wait for them, let MAIT and CHP do their job, and stop trying to second guess everything after the fact. I realize this is an impossible request on my part, but I feel a lot of empathy for the family and friends of all of the kids involved, and I've seen the effects on others like them of the blame assignment mentality of those who comment on these pages, firsthand, when the accusations are inaccurate, so it's worth a shot.
the car was a silver 2006 subaru wrx. no idea what the other car was. i was with them all that night up until an hour and a half before the crash
It's a game kittyv. Everyone gets to put in their guess, and when the truth comes out, the winner gets to say "see I told you so, I'm so smart". Pretty pathetic.
And keep in mind, these are the same people who complain about the media when they don't check their sources.
I agree with Kittyv...
a) It appears these kids/ young adults were in a very traumatic situation
b) their actions may have been protective in nature, both for their friends states and for those who were offering help
c) it sounds as though help were already on the way.
There are aspects of the story that are not apparent yet, and out of respect for those who have lost loved ones, be they friend or family, lets not jump to conclusions and make accusations. Three lives were lost. A fourth will live with experience that he was driving when it occured...and many more people will be affected by these events the one might think.
I hope all those impacted by this unfortunate event find peace and healing...Regardless of the circumstances surrounding it.
Thanks to everyones rash decisions (wendy williams and this friend commenting on the story) this case has been extremely jeopardized. This Jake kid has no idea what he has done to hurt his friends either innocent or not. By stating that a decision was made to turn help down because it was "unofficially" determined they were dead, can lead to charges of assisted murder/manslaughter. whatever level they want to put it on they can, because as far as we all know one of them wasn't completely dead YET. Not only can the DA take this up, it will most definitely go to a civil lawsuit from the child's parents, seeking retaliation for the open window of time that could have possibly saved this kids life.
As far as wendy goes, congratulations you've successfully jumped the gun and stuck your nose out there. With good intentions, however like ive already said, it is entirely jeopardizing this case, and if these kids are truly not wrong and your story is only "half" true, you are setting them up for a looooong undeserved haul through the court system. These childrens families aren't going to let this slip by. If there's justice to be served people will try their hardest to incriminate someone just to obtain it. I hope you don't regret "going to the media" with your story.
Aside from the factual basis of this story, who knows what that even is, this is a truly saddening accident, a horrible tragedy I hope i will never face within close friends and family. My condolences.
This information definitely needs to be checked out by the authorities. Something does not seem right here - come on CHP check all the witnesses and facts!
Wendy, you did the right thing. I would've done the same exact thing ONLY when the three kids were trying to keep you from getting out of the car, I WOULD HAVE! That would've been (to me) a sign that somebody is hiding something and for witness accounts, I would've examined the vehicles (for witness statements). Imagine if you had NOT arrived and no one was around to witness their strange behaviour? They would've gotten away with manslaughter charges by just simply stating "some animal jumped in front of us." By you coming forward and quickly, I'm proud of you. As for everyone else on here judging you, they can stick it! They just simply think that they are "changing the world, making it a better place to be" and sticking their nose where it don't belong. Their comments make me sick. They are an example of people who just want to start arguements with others because they have nothing better to do and are too afraid to say what they write in here to your face. Let me give these street racers and their little buddies a piece of advice from me. If I'm driving the road and you come up on me with your headlights so close that they are below my tail gate and I can't see them, you better be prepared to have a tow hitch come through your radiator when I slam on my brakes. Tail gating and passing on curves is against the law and I guess when your radiator gets punctured, you won't be doing that to me or my family again (like you've done in the past). I hope Wendy testifys in court!
Coming forward to the media is entirely different than coming forward to law enforcement. Yes she is doing the right thing to say something and let them know she is a witness. They know their job and they will do it. They will eventually get to her witness account and making a hasty decision on her part may lose her credibility all around in court. That's just a fact and that's all i wanted her and others to know.
Who said ANYTHING about hasty decisions? You write this as if they're looking for a "hanging party?" What makes you think Wendy will lose her credibility all around the court? Are you a judge or lawyer? I think it was the right thing to do because the event is still fresh in her mind and that she can still remember clearly the details of what she witnessed and what was said at the crash site. How is THAT dumb (as your really implying?) Maybe your just upset because it was Wendy who was there and not you? Maybe, if it WERE you, you would've done the same thing? If not, then what a shame. I think I would rather have Wendy pull up on a crash site first than someone who feels the way "InquiringMind" does and would hold out the facts to law enforcement or the media.
Please re-read my post. I said she did the right thing by letting law enforcement know. Im sure she's intelligent enough and obviously determined to get her words out that she could write it down also. I simply am saying going to the media before making a formal statement is ruining her credibility. Of course if I came upon a crash I would have done the same thing, in fact i wouldnt have driven away as did she. But i am not here and neither should anyone else be, to say what "could have" "should have" or would have" been done. These poor kids have been traumatized by this and whether or not in "legal terms" they are victims or suspects, we all know they're victims to begin with. My words are only meant to inform anyone who would have done the same as her. To let anyone else know what repercussions can come from uneducated decisions.
Mr_Armstrong, slamming on your brakes when a vehicle is tailgating is AGAINST THE LAW. Now that you have admitted your murderous intent may I suggest that you slightly tap on the brake pedal just enough to light up the lights. That always works to make the vehicle give you some space. Are you one of those people that drive slowly to p*** off other drivers?
Fast cars, young kids, country roads. It happens again and again and again....perhaps these other friends were driving behind them and the "teenage peer review" prompted the driver to push his skill level. The statements made to Wendy are odd....perhaps consciousness of guilt because they were all driving reckless, as kids tend to do when multiple cars of kids are all going to the same destination.
If the same kid was still there 12 hours later, I would bet CHP has already identified the involved kids. Their purpose for sending her away....we won't know that because the CHP investigation will take awhile and, if charges are going to be filed, won't be released to us avid readers just to satisfy our curiousities.
I would have to agree with Mr. Armstrong that everybody is getting all over a woman that had information to give & was getting no response from law enforcement. It is very important to get information why it is still fresh in a witnesses mind. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
I don’t care if help was in route KittyV. Unless you have some form of medical training you have no right to make the call on someone else's life. There cases everyday where people beat the odds everyone has the right to that chance & nothing gives anyone that right to take away a chance at survival. Please remove your head. That’s why we have EMT's Fire Depts. & Hospitals THATS THEIR JOB! Not some "young adult”. Unless you can prove for a fact that one of these by-standers had medical training & was qualified to make that call than I will change my mind.
Hypothetically if it could be proven that a crash victim could have survived if they had received some form of help & help was sent away these individuals could see criminal charges or civil litigation. The word negligence comes to mind
These "young adults" ARE COVERING UP something.
I would have kept it polite but...Please remove my head? I'm not the one talking out of my a**. You tend to come on these stories and show a clear indication of watching too much CSI. 1. I'm not coming down on Wendy, she should come forward with her info, but she jumped the gun going to the media. She made two phone calls before coming to the newspaper with not just what she witnessed but pure speculation on her part re: the "true" story. Look at the time frame. What's done is done. I simply gave a recommendation for anyone else who finds themselves in a similar situation. As you can see by reactions to this info, people like you are quick to immediately place culpability based on hearsay and perception. Is that fair?
2. She clearly states, she had no training of any type to render medical aid other than a first aid kit. If she was a nurse, you might have a valid argument. But throwing these kids under the bus and second guessing what occurred, with NO facts, because you want to play a "what if" game?
Unless YOU can prove for a fact that by turning away a bystander they cost these kids their life, you should not play with peoples lives and stab at those who are involved with such cruel innuendo as they are responsible for the deaths of their friends.
And as for your assurance they are covering up something, if you have proof of that I suggest you contact the authorities. Otherwise, you are merely giving an uneducated opinion and causing pain to people who may not deserve it with your speculations. You should wait for facts before saying things like that.
ChuxxR---Well, tit for tat! Since we're ALL in the mood to be breaking the laws, I'm just stating what's going to happen if these street racers try pulling what they've done to me and my family before on a blind curve, over double yellow lines! Since there are some on here that want to just shrug their shoulders when this sort of thing happens, I, for one am going to give a little payback to somebody who shouldn't be risking other innocent peoples lives because of their stupidity! Maybe the next person that gets killed in a head on will be you or your family, but oh well, right?
I am simply vowing to do my part to take another idiot off the road by taking out his radiator first and then knocking out his "grill" with my knuckles next for their stupidity! IT WORKS, HONEST! More people would respect others more if they knew there were more severe consequences for their actions rather than giving them a pat on the back and a hug. Kick their tales! That will put a stop to a lot of headaches in ALL of our futures!
localgirl - I apologize for the tone of my post. I let a minor insult in part of your comment anger me and then responded with less tact than I would have preferred. I know from other posts you've made that you have a lot of empathy. Because of my familiarity with your prior posts on this site, I don't believe you would WANT to hurt people, that is why I am choosing to apologize. I stand by the message and the points I was trying to make co
mpletely, just not the tone of it.
KittyV: I was not talking about Wendy having medical training I was talking about the person who sent her away saying nothing can be done. Not his call-unless he had some form of training, As as covering something up: let see how many versions of events the police get from these "by-standers"
Food for thought???