KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On Tuesday, a man was heading down East Magnolia Avenue when he said he saw a major crash that killed a man and injured five people, including two children. Davey Spurgeon captured the moments leading up to the impact on his helmet camera.
He jumped into action immediately, working to keep a 5-year-old girl alive as she lay in the parking lot.
"The ambulance got there and I said, 'You need to take her now or she won't make it,'" Spurgeon said. "'We got this, you're good, you're okay.' I was just like, 'Stay with me, baby.'"
The Knoxville Police Department said the crash happened on Magnolia Avenue near Milligan Street at around 3:15 p.m. They said it involved an orange Dodge Charger, a red Dodge Charger and a white Ford Explorer.
They said the Chargers were racing down Magnolia Avenue and when they ran a red light at Milligan Street, hitting the Explorer. The driver of the Explorer, 65-year-old Michael Williams, was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center and pronounced dead.
Two other occupants of the Explorer, an 11-year-old child and a 5-year-old girl, were also taken to UTMC. Police said Thursday that they were in critical condition. Other people involved in the crash were taken to the hospital for injuries that were not expected to be life-threatening.
"I didn't know she was five at the time. I knew she was young, but I didn't know how old, so I can only imagine the terror she was feeling," said Spurgeon. "I was shaking the whole way home. Trying to ride the bike home, it was eerie."
He said he left once first responders took over. He also said he didn't know her name, so he posted to social media to try and find out if she survived.
On Thursday, he said he was able to meet her and her parents in the hospital.
"They hugged me, they hugged each other. It was a really awesome experience," he said. "It was good knowing she was going to be alright."
Spurgeon said that he is a father of two children.
"It was just one of those moments when you think, 'Oh my God, what if these were one of my kids?' I am just a regular guy, nothing special," he said. "I've just always been that kind of guy. If there's trouble, I'm running toward it."
Both suspects in the crash are expected to have a preliminary hearing on Feb. 10. They are Trinity Clark, 21, and Tra'Shawn Glass, 20. Glass was hospitalized after the crash, and both people face charges of felony reckless endangerment and drag racing.
KPD said additional charges are pending.