By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
The Northeast drag racing community is dealing with a tragic death. Pamela Snyder and her son, Preston Dray, were killed after being caught up in severe storms in Berks County, Pennsylvania on Thursday night, according to 6 ABC.
Besides Pamela and Preston, Pamela was also eight months pregnant with a baby girl, who they were going to name Evelynn Rose. The family, according to social media posts, was planning a baby show for her on Sunday — and now they have to plan her funeral.
Snyder called 911 after being caught up in monsoon-like rains that were near Mantawany Creek. She was going home at approx. 4:30 pm near Boyertown when her vehicle was overcome by the rain.
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Her vehicle was swept into the creek. Hours after the initial 911 call, the authorities and first responders located her vehicle and found the two dead.
When she made the call, she told the authorities that water was rushing into her vehicle. The two were not able to escape.
“Our 911 dispatchers were on the line with the victim the whole time and eventually had lost contact with her,” Douglass Township Chief John Dzurek said.
The dispatcher was on the phone with Snyder for 49 minutes, according to the report, before being disconnected. Once on the scene, the first responders used watercraft, a helicopter, and also a drone to find the vehicle.
“The fire department and the water rescue team even had difficulty getting in because just about every road in the township had some sort of obstacle and made rescue efforts extremely difficult,” Dzurek said.
He also said Snyder did not drive through high water.
“I’ve been here for 14, going on 15 years,” Dzurek said, according to WFMZ. “I’ve seen six inches, seven inches of rain fall in this area over days, but I’ve never seen it fall in this short amount of time, and the devastation this township incurred is unforeseen. My heart goes out to the family. It’s just a very sad day for them.”
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The 31-year-old Snyder was dating Josh Knarr. His parents, Mark and Doris Knarr, have a Jr. Dragster program — and founded Pray Hard Racing to promote the sport in 2003.
“We are trying to get moms and dads out there to be more active with their kids,” Doris Knarr said in a Reading Eagle post.
Maple Grove Raceway was their home track. The track issued a statement on Friday evening.
Diane Kubicke, the NHRA Northeast Division photographer, along with friends from the drag racing community have set up a GoFundMe to help the family.
A meal train has also been established for Josh.
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