63Corvette

8 dead, dozen hurt as off-road race car plows into crowd
Injured airlifted to hospitals after Southern California desert tragedy
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38710643...life?GT1=43001

drivinhard

"The crowd was standing within 10 feet of the track with no guard rails separating them from the speeding vehicles. Officials said the driver wasn't hurt but had to flee the scene to escape angry spectators"

I can see why, obviously, standing 10 ft from a 100 mph truck is obviously the driver's fault.

Sidney004

Thats the last time you will ever see that event run.

Here is a video:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/...=nascar-262485

I am sure the organizers will never have enough money or insurance to cover these losses, thankfully our tax dollars thru the Federal Bureau of Land Management will be the deep pockets to pay all the circling attorneys and muti million dollars claims.

A quote from the organizer's website:

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to Mojave Desert Racing (MDR), a Southern California corporation providing an exciting, rewarding, and safe environment for off-road racing in four locations: Barstow, Lucerne Valley, Ridgecrest, and Plaster City.

63Corvette

Spectator safety and preception of safety impacts ALL motorsport everywhere!

John Shiels

They are all idiots just like World rally crap where they don't even stay to the inside of the corners which is still no sure thing. Surprised this has not happen many times before. Any company they would insure that id stupid too. Would these people feel good standing on the edge of the shoulder of an expressway all day? May be some would,

John Shiels

Also while flying over a bump which makes the truck airborne.

Greywolfe

Tragic, but what kind of moron would stand on the edge of a track where vehicles are racing on it?

Hey guys, I got a great idea, lets go stand on the outside of turn 1 at Road Atlanta, its a really good view..., Idiots!!!

John Shiels

The world is full of idiots and that is why they have seat belt laws. I place the blame on the organizers and insurer of the event.

Everett Ogilvie

I was thinking the same thing while watching some of the Pikes Peak Hillclimb vids posted here recently - spectators right next to the track. Maybe they have rules about where you can be, but it sure does not look like it in the vids.

WNeal

As sad as that is, it is 100% the spectators fault, 0% drivers fault.
It was just a matter of time

John Shiels

Organizers know more than most spectators or at least they should. If everyone was so bright they would wear seat belts and not smoke. Just like my workers I am responsible to make them work safely.

Zoxxo

See "Darwin"

The same morons who were standing ten feet from 100 mph off-road trucks as they flew over jumps were the same morons who turned on the driver as if this was something he planned/chose to do. )He has his own hell to live with now.) Just amazing.

Now those same f***s who CHOSE to stand there will sue everything & everyone in sight for failing to prevent them from doing so. I'd pay good money to be in succeeding levels of courts that, in turn, told everyone of them to "GTF out of here, you have no case you seriously stupid idiots."

Just amazing.

Z//

0RAAMaudio

Everybody is at fault to some degree but there are winners here, the lawyers will have a hay day and make a ton of money. The ones that get a piece of this pie are chomping at the bit to get started and the rest are SOL.

On a course like this is is about impossible to control the crowds which makes their part in this far more their fault than the organizers, drivers, etc.....If somebody is stupid enough to be standing 10 ft from the course and get injured or killed I have no sympathy for them what so ever. For their families of course, especially the ones that will have to baby sit the ones that cannot work, taxpayers supporting them, etc... but not for the "victims".

And of course the media is all over it, like they cared before anybody got hurt.

(Not all lawyers are like this of course, just most and I agree completely with Shakespear on at least 95% of them, the other 5% fill a needed service)

BrianCunningham

what professional sport allows spectators that close.

It looked like a street drag race

0RAAMaudio

Unfortunately when there are no fences, gates, gaurds, etc....and a bunch of dumb **** drunks, who is going to stop them, who could? You just end up without a series to race in eventually, then no more spectators getting hit.

F'ed up but true.

John Shiels

World Rally & Isle of Mann to name a few. Old F-1 and some other EU races but most have stopped I would guess. Baja 500 may be? I see some river boat racing does the same thing and the boats flew into the people. Lawyers will have a field day on this one. Next orginizer may not be so dumb. I bet they all paid to watch so with that I would guess promoter has responsibilities for safety.

the blur

The organizers #1 are at fault.
Then it's the law of natural selection.

Ultimately, the organizers are responsible to prevent the laws of natural selection from happening.

And the drivers of all the previous years should have spoken up about spectators 10 feet from the course.

coffey

You can't blame the organizers if you ask me. This is just how races like this are run. They even run sweep trucks before the start to drive through and tell people to back away from the course. Just like in rallys. It is logistically impossible to keep people away from the course in an event like this. They are on public land, BLM land. You can freely go where you please on BLM land. The fault is 100% on the people who stood close enough to get killed or hurt. It is sad to say it that way because some of them probably didn't know any better. But that is how natural selection works.

Not that it changes much but apparently the rules require drivers to slow to 15mph when within 50ft of spectators.

NASCAR314

WOW! the video is amazing, shows the stupidity of the spectators.
I feel for the Driver, as he / she has to live with this the rest of thier life!
I'd guess no waivers were signed by the spectators.......

John Shiels

No clue while the rules say 50 feet as I heard on TV the spectators are required to be back 100 feet. I guess driver could be blamed although they said he will not be charged. I am sure the driver will incur a ton of lawsuits They say this type of racing is probably dead now.