GERMANTOWN, Maryland — Vance Payne kissed his family goodbye and headed to work like any other morning. He never made it.
The 58-year-old father of five was killed early Tuesday after a stolen car ran into his vehicle at an intersection in Germantown, Maryland. He was on his way to his job at the National Institute of Standards and Technology when his life was cut short.
According to Montgomery County Police, the car that struck Payne was being driven by a 13-year-old boy. Inside that car were six other children, ranging in age from 12 to 15.
The vehicle had been reported stolen. Seven kids were rushed to the hospital. The 13-year-old driver, initially listed in critical condition, has since been described as stable.
A Life Defined by Dedication
Vance Payne was not just a number in a police report. He was a devoted husband, a father to five children, and a man who gave nearly three decades of his life to public service.
His family remembered him as a “devoted father, husband and friend to so many.”
A colleague who worked alongside him said Payne was one of the most warm and friendly people he had ever known — “salt of the earth,” he called him. The loss, he said, has been devastating for everyone who knew him.
Investigation Still Open
Montgomery County Police say the investigation is ongoing. Charges for the juveniles involved have not yet been announced.
The crash has left a community shaken and a family without the man who held it together.
Five children will grow up without their father. A wife lost her partner. And dozens of coworkers lost a friend they say simply cannot be replaced.
What do you think should happen to the juveniles involved? Share your thoughts in the comments.