Man remains in critical condition after crash in Kensington

KENSINGTON, Md. - A Maryland man is fighting for his life after a crash that may have been caused by a street race between two other drivers.

Carlos Hernandez, 64, is a deacon at St. Michael's the Archangel Church in Silver Spring and has also worked for 30 years at Ridgewells Catering. His son said Sunday that he's still in a coma.

"Carlos is currently in critical condition at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda. His injuries include: a fractured skull, bleeding in the brain, loss of mobility in his right arm, among other serious issues," reads a gofundme page for the Hernandez family.

The wreck happened just before 5:30 p.m. Saturday on Connecticut and Denfeld avenues in Kensington. Hernandez was on his way to church.

Investigators say the man who hit Hernandez may have been racing another driver who wasn't involved in the accident.

Police on scene did make contact with both of those drivers. The man who crashed has been identified as Miguel Ramirez, 23, of Silver Spring. He was injured, but is expected to survive. No information has been provided about the second driver.

Police tell us the crash is under investigation, and there are no charges at this point.

Susan Lacz, Hernandez's friend and co-worker, tells FOX 5 that it's devastating to see something like this to happen, especially to someone so committed to doing good for others.

"His weekends and nights are spent saying mass and he goes to Walter Reed on a regular basis to give communion and visit the wounded warriors. He is the kindest soul that you'll ever want to meet and ever want to know," Lacz said. "It's really impacting the family. It's just hard to see somebody who just gives so much of themself to everybody else, to see him lying there with all those tubes."

She says the hospital has been flooded with visitors this weekend, so many that family is requesting privacy for now.

This is the gofundme account set up for Hernandez and his family: https://www.gofundme.com/deaconcarloshernandez