Police: Crash involving 2 pregnant women not result of road rage

A crash that injured two pregnant women and later caused one to lose her unborn baby may not be a case of road rage, as previously thought, police said Thursday.

Dayton police Sgt. Rick Blommel said they are investigating two separate incidents that happened Sunday evening, one which involved the two pregnant women in an altercation with another driver near Siebenthaler and Philadelphia avenues. The other involved the two women running a red light at Grand and Forest avenues, resulting in a traffic crash. Blommel said there's no evidence the vehicle the women were driving was pushed, rammed or struck in any way that would cause them to run the red light, and therefore would not constitute road rage.

"At this point it's being investigated as a traffic crash," Blommel said. "If there is evidence or some things come to light to indicate otherwise, then the investigation will move in a different direction. Why she ran the light is what we have to figure out."

The incident was initially reported to police dispatchers as road rage.

The traffic crash resulted in one of the women losing her baby. Mariah Dorsey, 22, has been downgraded to critical condition at Miami Valley Hospital after losing her unborn baby Tuesday. She was listed in fair condition prior to the miscarriage. Police haven't released how far along Dorsey was in the pregnancy at the time of the crash, but a woman who said she was Dorsey's sister told News Center 7 she had been 6 months pregnant. The Montgomery County Coroner's Office is completing an autopsy on the fetus. It will be several weeks before those results are available.

Dorsey was reportedly the passenger in the Dodge Charger involved in the crash at Grand and Forest avenues Sunday. The Charger driver, identified as 23-year-old Kiarra Scales, told police she was fleeing from a blue Mercury sedan when she ran the red light, colliding with a pickup truck.

Both the driver and passenger of the pickup truck were taken to Miami Valley Hospital. The passenger, 59-year-old Ronald Lewis, is still in fair condition at Miami Valley Hospital today. Scales was listed in good condition, according to Miami Valley staff.

The driver of the Mercury fled the scene before police arrived. Police have identified the driver, but her name hasn't been released and Blommel said she is not facing charges right now. Dorsey and Scales told police the Mercury driver struck their vehicle with a tire iron near Philadelphia and Siebenthaler following a dispute, and Scales took off in the Charger to get away. The Mercury gave pursuit, and they were reportedly fleeing from that vehicle at the time of the crash. Blommel said investigators are looking into that story, and interviewing witnesses, to determine how close the Mercury was to the Charger, and if actions of that driver did in fact contribute to the crash.

"There's too much still unknown to rule anything definitively," Blommel said.

Police will present the case to the Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office to determine if any charges should be filed. Authorities are looking for any witnesses who may have seen the altercation at Siebenthaler and Philadelphia, or the crash at Forest and Grand avenues. Anyone with information is urged to call 937-333-2677.

About the Author