By OLIVIA BERGMEIER
Salina Post
On Friday, March 15, Saline County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a lethal crash where local emergency services pronounced two Salina teens dead on the scene from a head-on collision on West Crawford Street.
Saline County Sheriff's Office deputies reported to the 2800 block of West Crawford Street at 6:26 p.m. just west of Fairchild Road, where a 2001 silver Chevrolet Camaro struck a 2022 blue Chevrolet Silverado head-on.
Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan said deputies investigating the case found evidence that the driver of the silver Camaro, 17-year-old Vance McComber, who died in the crash, was drag racing another blue 2017 Chevrolet Camaro before the crash occurred.
"They're still investigating all the circumstances around it, but at this time, it appears there were indications that they were drag racing west, but for whatever reason, they didn't see the truck coming," Soldan said. "Whether it was the sun or they were distracted by watching what's going on with the guy beside him or what."
Soldan said McComber had two passengers in the vehicle with him, 17-year-old Anthony Windell, who sat in the passenger seat and also died in the crash, and 17-year-old Alphonso Torres Ramirez.
Local emergency services later transported Torres Ramirez to Salina Regional Health Center with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The truck, driven by 41-year-old Rosa Vasquez, was traveling eastbound on Crawford with her 12-year-old daughter Judy Vasquez when the vehicles crashed.
Soldan said another vehicle was present at the scene of the crash, which veered out of the way of McComber's car before it crashed into Rosa Vasquez's truck.
Emergency services also transported Rosa and Judy Vasquez to Salina Regional with severe but non-life-threatening injuries.
The second alleged Camaro driver believed to have drag-raced the other Camaro, was identified as a 2017 blue Chevrolet Camaro with one driver and an unknown number of passengers.
READ MORE: Abilene Industrial Park Advances with Approval of $1.1 Million Contingent Grant