Five children who were riding in the back of their parents' car without seatbelts are killed in horrific crash, but their belted mother and father survive
- Maryland authorities say they are investigating a crash that killed five children who were ejected from a vehicle - two adults were also injured
- The single-vehicle crash happened before 5am Saturday morning
- 8-year-old London Dixon and 5-year-old Paris Dixon, both of Bowie; and 14-year-old Zion Beard; 6-year-old Rickelle Ricks; and 15-year-old Damari Herald, all died
- Police identified the driver as 32-year-old Dominique Taylor, of Bowie
- Twenty-three-year Cornell Simon of Oxon Hill is believed to have been a front-seat passenger
- A preliminary investigation shows the vehicle struck several trees and then spun in a snow-covered field
Five children between the ages of 5 and 15 have been killed in Maryland on Saturday.
The car they were riding in crashed into several trees in Bowie and then spun into a field.
It appears all five children were riding in the backseat and none of them were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash which led to them being ejected from the car.
London Dixon, 8, and Paris Dixon, 5, were both killed in the crash that killed three other kids
Maryland authorities say they are investigating a crash that killed five children who were ejected from a vehicle - two adults were also injured
A preliminary investigation shows the vehicle struck several trees and then spun in a snow-covered field
The driver, 32-year-old Dominique R. Taylor, lost control of the car about 4:30am and careered off the side of the road, hitting several trees in the process.
The five children were thrown from the car as the vehicle came to a halt in a nearby field.
London Dixon, 8, and Paris Dixon, 5, both children of Taylor lived in Bowie and attended Northview Elementary School according to NBC Washington.
Zion Beard, 14, Rickelle Ricks, 6, and Damari Herald, 15, from Washington D.C, were pronounced dead at the scene.
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8-year-old London Dixon and 5-year-old Paris Dixon, both of Bowie were thrown from the car
Maryland State Police say five children were killed in a single vehicle crash on Saturday morning in Bowie
None of the children who were in the back seat of the car were wearing seatbelts at the time
The Chrysler Pacifica only had one row of seats in the rear. Photos from the scene showed extensive damage to the car.
Taylor was sent to a hospital although her condition is unclear.
Cornell D. Simon, 23, of Oxon Hill, is in critical condition, according to police.
Police are now working to try to understand how the crash occurred.
Although the roads were icy at the time throughout Maryland, police have not said whether the weather contributed to the accident.
"Every collision where we lose life is a tragedy," said Maryland State Trooper Capt. Daniel Pickett. "And where children are involved, it's more of a tragedy."
The road was closed for more than seven hours after the crash but has since reopened.
The single-vehicle crash happened before 5am Saturday morning, The car car be seen, right
The car ended up sitting in a field just off the road which was closed for seven hours
