RCCrawler Forums

the DMG · 08-15-2010, 09:04 AM

8 killed & many injured in the California 200 off-road race
truck leaves the course & lands in the crowd.

can't blame the driver though,
to many people at the track side in the landing area.

never understood why spectators putting them selfs in danger zone like that,
in the landing area, on the out side of a turn, or just to dam close to the course !!

people need to think of where there watching a auto race from.

NEVER put your self in the crash zone.

every race i go to,
i make sure to look & think if there was crash,
where would the cars end up going.

sad for the spectators,
but u should think where your watching a race from in case of a crash !!

big bronco · 08-15-2010, 09:10 AM

i just read that on aol... very sad
but what i dont get is why the drivers are being senteced w. vehicular manslauter when it was and "accident"

canadianbacon · 08-15-2010, 09:16 AM

Saw this this morning on Four Wheelers Facebook page, RIP to those who were killed but why the hell would you be so close to the track? It's the same with Rally Racing in Europe, people stand only a few feet off the track while the cars go by at over 100 mph.

59sled · 08-15-2010, 09:18 AM

It is sad that this happened, but I don't understand why people stand that close. They do it in Rally also. Look up videos of Zoo road in the Baja 1000 races- those people are just playing with their lives.
You just know there are going to be a bunch of law suits against MDR, especially now that the Highway Patrol and BLM are going to take over investigating the accident. I hope this doesn't bring an end to MDR.

The driver had to run from the scene because all the bystanders were starting to throw rocks and attack him. How can you attack him when they are standing 10 feet off the track when trucks are jumping at 60 mph plus.

My thoughts and prayers go out to their family members that have to deal with this tragedy.

JeremyH · 08-15-2010, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZORLAC

can't blame the driver though,

Unfortunately, though, people were blaming him. The article I read said that he had to be rushed from the scene because a crowd was throwing rocks at him after the accident...

59sled · 08-15-2010, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by big bronco

i just read that on aol... very sad
but what i dont get is why the drivers are being senteced w. vehicular manslauter when it was and "accident"

I didn't hear about the manslaughter sentence. It's happened before, they see it as the driver was going to fast for the conditions he was in. When people are around they expect the drivers to slow down, but they need to understand that this is a race, fastest time when.
I think they went after manslaughter when one of the Baldwin's truck flipped into a crowed and killed 2 people in one of the Baja races in the late 90's.
It should just be a racing accident.

Mr.Slave · 08-15-2010, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 59sled

I didn't hear about the manslaughter sentence. It's happened before, they see it as the driver was going to fast for the conditions he was in.

WTF its a race FFS

rmdesignworks · 08-15-2010, 09:55 AM

charges were filed in the drag race incident..."February 2008, a car smashed into a crowd that had gathered to watch an illegal drag race on a suburban street in Accokeek, Maryland, killing eight people and injuring five. The two drivers were charged with vehicular manslaughter." from the AOL article.

John · 08-15-2010, 10:12 AM

My daughters best friend was badly injured in the crash. She got the call from her friends mother last night as she was being air lifted from the scene. Unfortunately her friends boyfriend was one of the ones killed. My daughter left for the hospital last night about 11pm. Waiting to here from her now.

The Violator · 08-15-2010, 10:37 AM

I have been to tons of races. And most of the time I was to close to the track. Add to it the gallons of beer, it makes for a pretty dangerous thing to do. These trucks are moving at 100mph in some spots and people are on the track. If anyone has been to Mexico for a race, people down there dig holes for the racers to crash in, they run backwards down the track. There is alot of stupidity going on. It was really only time before a big group of people were wiped out. God speed to the people who were directly involved.

Harley · 08-15-2010, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John

My daughters best friend was badly injured in the crash. She got the call from her friends mother last night as she was being air lifted from the scene. Unfortunately her friends boyfriend was one of the ones killed. My daughter left for the hospital last night about 11pm. Waiting to here from her now.

Best wishes to your daughter and her friends in dealing with all of this.

twisted · 08-15-2010, 11:05 AM

ist off i feel sorry for those directly involved. spectators should not be that close to a race BUT the people putting the race on should be forcing some type of rules to keep people as safe as possible.

rottenbelly · 08-15-2010, 01:04 PM

I have been saying this was gonna happen for years!!!!!
What idiot is gonna stand that close to something flying past you at 100 mph!!!
Cant really blame the driver.
Blame the race coordinators.... Maybe, but you cant watch 200 miles of race course.

I like to watch the races on tv and such ,but this was bound to happen and now everyones gonna look at it diferent!

country_crawler · 08-15-2010, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by big bronco

i just read that on aol... very sad
but what i dont get is why the drivers are being senteced w. vehicular manslauter when it was and "accident"

How can he be charged if its on a "closed course"? Its racing. You stand to close too something, and it goes wrong, and it hits you at 100mph, its pretty much your fault for standing there in the first place. All race events are supposed to be on a "closed course" am I wrong?

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmdesignworks

charges were filed in the drag race incident..."February 2008, a car smashed into a crowd that had gathered to watch an illegal drag race on a suburban street in Accokeek, Maryland, killing eight people and injuring five. The two drivers were charged with vehicular manslaughter." from the AOL article.

I can understand why the drives were senteced to prison here, since it was Illegal, but how can the driver be senteced to vechicular man slaughter if it was on a closed course?

microgoat · 08-15-2010, 02:05 PM

Because it's California

John · 08-15-2010, 02:20 PM

My daughter just called me. Her girlfriends injuries are not life threatening. She said her friend told her she was holding her boyfriends 3 year old daughter and was standing just behind him. The truck rolled and killed her boyfriend instantly. She was pushed by the truck/crowd, out of the way holding the 3 year old. She remembers flying through the air after being hit. The three year old managed to escape injury. I am very surprised someone would be standing so close to the action with a 3 year old, but it happened. The 3 year old knows her father was injured, but hasn't been told yet that he has passed. Very sad for all involved. My daughter drove back this morning from the hospital. She said another person passed away while she was at the hospital, which might make the total 9 now.

Krakker · 08-15-2010, 06:29 PM

http://www.rr.com/news/topic/article...wd_killing_8/1
here's the RR article. Really sad.

Highmark · 08-15-2010, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeremyH

Unfortunately, though, people were blaming him. The article I read said that he had to be rushed from the scene because a crowd was throwing rocks at him after the accident...

This really pisses me off ...

That driver will be dealing with the consequences of others stupidity for the rest of his life, such a shame that people apparently put the blame squarely on his head when many others where actually at fault.

That being said ... gotta feel terrible for the people involved and I hope some good will come out of this and people will learn to move the hell back. I remember people commenting about this years KOH race as well. This standing right next to the track BS is really a danger to the sport.

RANOVRU · 08-16-2010, 06:26 AM

Those of you wondering how in the world the driver would get blamed can look at the current attitude/state of mind in this country. Instant gratification is key.

While most would agree there is no way to replace a loved one, the mindset of "you owe me" will overshadow the aforementioned. All the insurance in the world wont bring back a person.

Bottom line is its an accident. And as usual finger pointing is always the first thing that follows.

Was the driver at fault? Sure. The truck wasnt driving itself. Were the people standing so close to the track at fault? Absolutely. Should have never been there.

But in all reality there are a lot of sports that are dangerous even in designated spectator areas. People should be aware of this and as with many things, do at your own risk. A simple EX of this would be sitting in the stands at a baseball game & getting seriously injured/killed from a homerun.

soilwork · 08-16-2010, 08:14 AM

MY condolences go out to the families who lost a loved one in this accident and people who were injured and to the driver who has to deal with this the rest of his life. When you go to these races, you stand where you stand at your own risk. Imagine if Nascar didn't have barricades and a safety fence. To put blame on on the driver is uncalled for. It's sad to say that the organizations holding these event wait until something like this happens to put safety measures in place to project the spectators.

08-15-2010, 09:04 AM	#1
the DMG RCC Addict Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: IN THE PIT !! Posts: 1,039	Black day for off road racing 8 killed & many injured in the California 200 off-road race truck leaves the course & lands in the crowd. can't blame the driver though, to many people at the track side in the landing area. never understood why spectators putting them selfs in danger zone like that, in the landing area, on the out side of a turn, or just to dam close to the course !! people need to think of where there watching a auto race from. NEVER put your self in the crash zone. every race i go to, i make sure to look & think if there was crash, where would the cars end up going. sad for the spectators, but u should think where your watching a race from in case of a crash !!

08-15-2010, 02:20 PM	#16
John Rock Crawler Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 935	My daughter just called me. Her girlfriends injuries are not life threatening. She said her friend told her she was holding her boyfriends 3 year old daughter and was standing just behind him. The truck rolled and killed her boyfriend instantly. She was pushed by the truck/crowd, out of the way holding the 3 year old. She remembers flying through the air after being hit. The three year old managed to escape injury. I am very surprised someone would be standing so close to the action with a 3 year old, but it happened. The 3 year old knows her father was injured, but hasn't been told yet that he has passed. Very sad for all involved. My daughter drove back this morning from the hospital. She said another person passed away while she was at the hospital, which might make the total 9 now. Last edited by John; 08-15-2010 at 04:15 PM.

08-15-2010, 09:10 AM	#2
big bronco Rock Crawler Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: babylon, long island ny Posts: 887	i just read that on aol... very sad but what i dont get is why the drivers are being senteced w. vehicular manslauter when it was and "accident"

08-15-2010, 09:16 AM	#3
canadianbacon RCC Addict Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Moncton, NB, Canada Posts: 1,962	Saw this this morning on Four Wheelers Facebook page, RIP to those who were killed but why the hell would you be so close to the track? It's the same with Rally Racing in Europe, people stand only a few feet off the track while the cars go by at over 100 mph.

08-15-2010, 09:18 AM	#4
59sled Quarry Creeper Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: SoCal. Posts: 397	It is sad that this happened, but I don't understand why people stand that close. They do it in Rally also. Look up videos of Zoo road in the Baja 1000 races- those people are just playing with their lives. You just know there are going to be a bunch of law suits against MDR, especially now that the Highway Patrol and BLM are going to take over investigating the accident. I hope this doesn't bring an end to MDR. The driver had to run from the scene because all the bystanders were starting to throw rocks and attack him. How can you attack him when they are standing 10 feet off the track when trucks are jumping at 60 mph plus. My thoughts and prayers go out to their family members that have to deal with this tragedy.

08-15-2010, 09:55 AM	#8
rmdesignworks I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: ...the burning end of the rope. Posts: 5,013	charges were filed in the drag race incident..."February 2008, a car smashed into a crowd that had gathered to watch an illegal drag race on a suburban street in Accokeek, Maryland, killing eight people and injuring five. The two drivers were charged with vehicular manslaughter." from the AOL article.

08-15-2010, 10:12 AM	#9
John Rock Crawler Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 935	My daughters best friend was badly injured in the crash. She got the call from her friends mother last night as she was being air lifted from the scene. Unfortunately her friends boyfriend was one of the ones killed. My daughter left for the hospital last night about 11pm. Waiting to here from her now.

08-15-2010, 10:37 AM	#10
The Violator RCC Addict Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Token's life matters Posts: 1,836	I have been to tons of races. And most of the time I was to close to the track. Add to it the gallons of beer, it makes for a pretty dangerous thing to do. These trucks are moving at 100mph in some spots and people are on the track. If anyone has been to Mexico for a race, people down there dig holes for the racers to crash in, they run backwards down the track. There is alot of stupidity going on. It was really only time before a big group of people were wiped out. God speed to the people who were directly involved.

08-15-2010, 11:05 AM	#12
twisted I wanna be Dave Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 2,386	ist off i feel sorry for those directly involved. spectators should not be that close to a race BUT the people putting the race on should be forcing some type of rules to keep people as safe as possible.

08-15-2010, 01:04 PM	#13
rottenbelly Just jump it! Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Cedar City, Utah Posts: 1,947	I have been saying this was gonna happen for years!!!!! What idiot is gonna stand that close to something flying past you at 100 mph!!! Cant really blame the driver. Blame the race coordinators.... Maybe, but you cant watch 200 miles of race course. I like to watch the races on tv and such ,but this was bound to happen and now everyones gonna look at it diferent!

08-15-2010, 02:05 PM	#15
microgoat I wanna be Dave Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 8,009	Because it's California

08-15-2010, 06:29 PM	#17
Krakker I wanna be Dave Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Where freedom is earned. Posts: 2,011	http://www.rr.com/news/topic/article...wd_killing_8/1 here's the RR article. Really sad.

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08-16-2010, 06:26 AM	#19
RANOVRU Quarry Creeper Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Mechanicsville, VA Posts: 464	Those of you wondering how in the world the driver would get blamed can look at the current attitude/state of mind in this country. Instant gratification is key. While most would agree there is no way to replace a loved one, the mindset of "you owe me" will overshadow the aforementioned. All the insurance in the world wont bring back a person. Bottom line is its an accident. And as usual finger pointing is always the first thing that follows. Was the driver at fault? Sure. The truck wasnt driving itself. Were the people standing so close to the track at fault? Absolutely. Should have never been there. But in all reality there are a lot of sports that are dangerous even in designated spectator areas. People should be aware of this and as with many things, do at your own risk. A simple EX of this would be sitting in the stands at a baseball game & getting seriously injured/killed from a homerun.

08-16-2010, 08:14 AM	#20
soilwork Quarry Creeper Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Warwick Posts: 302	MY condolences go out to the families who lost a loved one in this accident and people who were injured and to the driver who has to deal with this the rest of his life. When you go to these races, you stand where you stand at your own risk. Imagine if Nascar didn't have barricades and a safety fence. To put blame on on the driver is uncalled for. It's sad to say that the organizations holding these event wait until something like this happens to put safety measures in place to project the spectators.

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Thread: Black day for off road racing