8 dead, 12 hurt at off-road race in Calif. desert

[cory777]

Source: AP

LUCERNE VALLEY, Calif. – A vehicle plowed into a crowd at a popular off-road race in the Southern California desert on Saturday night, killing eight people and leaving 12 wounded, authorities said.

The accident happened shortly before 8 p.m. at the race called the California 200, said San Bernardino County sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindy Bachman.

Bachman said 12 people were injured, several seriously. Most were airlifted from the area to Loma Linda University Hospital.

The race was held in Soggy Dry Lake Bed near the city of Lucerne Valley in the Mojave Desert, 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

Read more: http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ap-offroadcrashdeaths

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[mike r]

1. "The driver wasn’t hurt but had to flee the scene to escape angry spectators"

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvNyFr_CtiM

[slackmaster]

2. How horrible. A friend of mine was probably there to photograph the race.

I'll check up on him.

[Archae]

3. The crowd blames the driver for them standing too close.

Figures. :eyes:

[activa8tr]

4. All these races are nothing less than INSANITY!!

What a waste of lives, not to mention all the fuel they use, and all the fuel used getting people and racing vehicles to the events!

Am I all alone in thinking we should outlaw auto and truck and stunt car races and exhibits?

[Throd]

7. I certainly hope you are.

[makhno]

8. Why stop at motorsport?

I wonder what the carbon footprint of the cars, RVs, team buses and transports used for major cycling races could be?

I think we should also suspend all sporting events requiring stadium lighting, what with the vast amounts of coal and other fossil fuels used to generate all that electricity!

Heck, why don't we just agree to shut everything down in a knee-jerk response and live healthy, minimalist lives with masturbation as the only allowed form of safe, energy-conscious entertainment.

[NutmegYankee]

10. Even that wouldn't meet the energy conscious requirement...

Think of all that wasted Cocoa butter and paper towels! We should just go puritan and accuse our neighbors of being witches for entertainment. At least that doesn't require petroleum. Witch Witch!!!

:evilgrin:

[thetonka]

25. And concerts, and Burning Man, and Festivals

EVERYTHING has an impact.

[SteveM]

11. Are you alone in wanting to "outlaw?" Close to it.

I've been to many auto races (NHRA, NASCAR, the old CANAM, dirt track round 'n' rounds, etc.). Very few deaths.

We should avoid reaching for the "gun" of prohibition every time a rare tragedy happens. Safety-obsession is unbecoming.

[customerserviceguy]

13. Those races all have some degree of safety for the spectator

I saw the video of this tragedy on NBC News tonight, those spectators have zero protection. Given that, I feel they bear some responsibility for what happens to them in the event of a mishap.

It's like being at the hockey game, a puck could fly into the crowd, if you want to watch a hockey game safely, do it from the closest seats (protected by plexiglass) or watch it on TV.

[arbusto_baboso]

23. Not to mention the fact that it tears up the desert.

You are not alone in wanting to outlaw these races.

[Posteritatis]

26. Panic! Ban! Panic! Ban! Panic! Ban! Panic! Ban! (nt)

[activa8tr]

5. "The crash was the latest in a series of race accidents that have proved deadly to spectators."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100815/ap_on_sp_ot/us_off_road_crash_deaths

[thetonka]

28. WOW, what a completely irresponsible generalization.

[Historic NY]

6. Stupid is as stupid does.....rules for driver no common sense for spectators.

[Born_A_Truman]

9. This happened a few miles from me ...

Very tragic. My condolences to the families and friends of all involved.

:cry:

[mike r]

12. Truck's name is Misery, driver's name is Sloppy

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0816-offroad-crash-20100816,0,7066335.story

[tabasco]

14. The excitement for spectators is being close to the track.

I'm not sure if anything needs to be done.

[NoodleyAppendage]

15. Sorry, but if you taunt death you're likely to succumb to it.

Accidents happen, but you're just asking for trouble being about 10 feet away from a desert race track with poorly controlled vehicles going 80+ miles per hour. This stupid race is tantamount to having people standing on the side of the highway cheering the I-95 traffic between NYC and New Haven.

J

[Baclava]

16. I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often

Watch those rally races from Europe.

People step out into the road, in front of the oncoming cars, snap a few pictures, and jump back out of the way.



Of course the real Darwin Award winners are the ones who stand on the outside of the curves to watch the races.

[joshcryer]

17. Found the MySpace page of the girl that died, she was big in to trucks:

http://www.myspace.com/zj_girl

so sad.

[slackmaster]

21. I read about the victims in the local fishwrap this morning. They were all in their early 20s.

Such a waste of life.

[activa8tr]

18. What OTHER 'Sporting Event" can claim 8 dead in one contest? Does the

Colesseum ring a bell?

[slackmaster]

20. 83 spectators died in a 1955 race disaster at Le Mans

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1955_Le_Mans_disaster

One of many auto racing disasters in which spectators were killed en masse.

[One_Life_To_Give]

22. 318 people are killed and another 500 injured

in riots at National Stadium after Argentina beats Peru in an Olympic qualifying match. The pandemonium breaks out when the referee disallows a Peruvian goal in the final two minutes. May 24, 1964 - Lima, Peru;

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/news/2000/07/09/stadium_disasters_ap/

[Posteritatis]

27. And the Absurd Comparison Award for the day goes to activa8tr! (nt)

[AngryAmish]

19. THis is called thinning the herd.

[county worker]

24. We have a similar thing going on at a beach near here. Pismo beach dunes

is a mad house on the weekends. Off road vehicles of all types running over and through the dunes. People get killed by being hit by the moving vehicles. I think there were two deaths so far this year.

One of the problems for the locals is the sand and dust kicked up all day long. From a distance it looks like a sand storm.

It is very popular. I'm not into it but many are. On 101 Frwy on weekends you'll see the pickups with a couple of quads or off road bikes and a camping trailer. The go to the beach, set up and drive all over the dunes until the gas runs out.

I've been to the "rock pile" were the truck accident happened. I use to go there about once a month on the weekends in the 80's. No races back then.