Fiery Birmingham exhibition driving crash leaves 9 critically injured, including bystanders
Birmingham AL December 12, 2022 At least nine people were critically injured in Birmingham Friday night after reported exhibition driving ended with a crash that struck multiple bystanders.
The crash happened about 9:10 p.m. Friday on John Rogers Drive at Gun Club Road.
Witnesses said a Dodge Charger and Nissan 370z were doing donuts when the two cars collided and then at least one of them veered into a crowd of bystanders.
Birmingham, Irondale, Cahaba Valley and Trussville firefighters responded to the scene.
The Charger is reported to have caught fire.
The initial reports indicated multiple people were lying in the road after being struck by one of the vehicles.
BFRS Battalion Chief Tobias Jones said 13 people were injured, nine of those were critically injured.
Birmingham police said it appears a crowd had gathered to watch exhibition driving and racing. There were multiple donut and burnout skid marks on the pavement.
There were dozens of bystanders watching the exhibition driving, witnesses said.
Multiple concerned family members rushed to the scene after the crash.
Illegal street racing and exhibition driving has been an ongoing problem in the city.
In August, a large crowd was gathered in a parking lot in the 800 block of Second Avenue North where drivers were doing burnouts and donuts when gunfire erupted. According to police and to a video circulating on social media, a vehicle doing a burnout struck another vehicle in the parking lot.
The collision happened just after 3 a.m. that Sunday. The video shows a male immediately opening fire after the cars made contact.
A woman was killed and four others were injured.
A 14-year-old boy was killed in July when he was struck by a vehicle watching exhibition driving in Birmingham.
Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin joined members of the Jefferson County legislative delegation in November to announce plans to file a bill in the upcoming legislative session to prohibit and impose penalties for certain forms of “exhibition driving,” which includes street and drag racing, burnouts, donuts, and similar activities defined within the bill.
The legislation would carry five to 90 days in jail and a fine ranging from $25 to $500 for a first conviction. A second conviction would increase jail time from 10 days to six months and/or a fine ranging from $50 to $500. Driving privileges may also be revoked for up to six months.
