Dad hospitalized by Wildwood, NJ crash seen in disturbing viral H2Oi video
WILDWOOD — A father of four daughters is in intensive care after he was hit by a sports car during Saturday's unsanctioned H2Oi car rally that was caught in an upsetting video and shared widely on social media.
Erhan Bayram remains in the ICU at an Atlantic City trauma center as of late Sunday evening, according to a GoFundMe posted by a relative.
One of several bloody crashes during Wildwood car rally
Bayram was driving a street-legal golf cart with his girlfriend and four daughters when it was hit by a BMW at the intersection of Rio Grande Avenue and Park Boulevard.
The crash is one of several that officials say occurred Saturday night. It is separate from another fatal incident around 9:30 p.m. on Atlantic Avenue that left two people dead and resulted in the arrest of a Pittsburgh man.
It's unknown if the driver of the BMW involved in the crash with Bayram is facing charges. The Cape May County Prosecutor's Office did not respond to a request for information on the crash that injured Bayram.
Bayram's girlfriend Jessica Klepacz said on social media that she took photos of their family just one hour before the crash. One photo shows their four daughters smiling in the golf cart.
The GoFundMe, created by Klepacz's cousin Ashley Cinalli, said that the four girls and their mother walked away from the crash mostly uninjured.
Video of the crash into golf cart
Viral video of the moments leading up to the crash and the aftermath appears to show two cars stopped at a red light on Rio Grande Avenue. When the light turns green, one car quickly accelerates and takes off eastbound into oncoming traffic.
The other vehicle, a BMW, waits another 10 seconds. As it sits at the green light, a third vehicle attempts to pass on the left and make a right turn onto Park Boulevard.
The BMW then accelerates, collides with the vehicle attempting to make a right turn and spins into the opposite lanes. It comes to a stop after hitting the golf cart occupied by Bayram and his family.
Screams for help
After the crash, a man can be seen unresponsive on the road. Children are heard screaming as a woman grabs the man and calls out for someone to call the police.
(Video of the collision on Rio Grande Avenue is available on YouTube. WARNING: Language and disturbing content.)
The video has been misreported as being related to a separate fatal crash at the intersection of Burk and Atlantic Avenues. That crash resulted in the deaths of two victims identified as Lindsay Weakland, 18, of Carlisle, PA, and Timothy Ogden, 34, of Clayton.
Charges in separate fatal crash
So far, authorities have only announced charges in the fatal crash.
Gerald White, 37, of Pittsburgh is accused of being behind the wheel of a 2003 Infinity that killed Weakland and Ogden, according to Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffery Sutherland. White is charged with two counts each of death by auto and assault by auto, among other offenses.
The Wildwood Board of Commissioners released a statement Monday offering its condolences to the victims' families and friends.
"The City of Wildwood, in cooperation with the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office and City of Wildwood Police Department, will vigorously investigate the incidents that occurred this weekend."
A series of crashes injured multiple people throughout Wildwood during the H2Oi, or H2022, pop-up car rally Saturday.
Rick Rickman is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at richard.rickman@townsquaremedia.com
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