- Police estimate that between eight or nine Bainbridge High School students were involved in Thursday's crash.
- Officers credit the installation of speed cameras in the area for reminding drivers to be mindful and slow down.
- Watch the story to learn the details surrounding the five car pile up that ultimately involved six cars.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Police continue to advocate for drivers to remain vigilant after Bainbridge High School students were involved in Thursday's five car pile up.
I rode along with the chief of police to retrace the events that led to a teenager's arrest.
"The first accident was basically driving recklessly in and out of traffic weaving,” Redell Walton, chief of police, Bainbridge Public Safety.
Walton describes what happened that led up to a five car pileup just half a mile outside a school zone.
That accident involved a number of students.
One of which was later arrested for reckless driving.
"[The] first accident involved students that were driving recklessly and because of that accident another set of students.. One braked and to avoid hitting it [the car] and another student rear ended him,” according to Walton.
Chief Walton credits the installation of speed cameras back in September for keeping drivers mindful when it comes to slowing down but says we still have a long way to go in terms of safety.
"That type of driving that took place caused us to get the cameras just outside the speed zone.. It's basically what we're trying to prohibit,” said Walton.
I talked to Mark Esquivel, a responding officer who put his title of chief investigator to the side after learning his son was a passenger in one of the vehicles involved in the crash.
"What every parent would think to make sure he's okay,” said Esquivel.
Police are urging drivers to follow the speed limit to prevent accidents and avoid the possibility of someone getting hurt.
The more speed the more significant injuries are with accidents. We just want people to slow down, that's the bottom line,” said Walton.
Police plan to continue monitoring this area in an effort to measure how safety is improving after adding cameras to speed zones.
