Federal agency failed to follow safety rules prior to desert crash, report finds

[alp227]

Source: Los Angeles Times

The federal Bureau of Land Management failed to follow its own safety and regulatory procedures during an August off-road desert race in San Bernardino County in which eight spectators were killed after a racer crashed into a crowd, an internal agency report released Friday concluded.

Similar failures for permitted off-road events occurred throughout the 11 million acres of California desert under the federal agency's control, the report found.

"We are cooperating fully with the California Highway Patrol's ongoing investigation into the accident, but our own internal review found we did not follow agency procedures in permitting and overseeing the event," acting BLM State Director Jim Abbott said in a prepared statement released Friday. "We have swiftly taken corrective action … raising the bar for oversight and safety at all such events, and moving forward with a sense of shared responsibility and accountability."

Eight spectators were killed and 10 seriously injured in the California 200 night race in the Lucerne Valley when driver Brett Sloppy of San Marcos lost control of his modified Ford Ranger pickup after going airborne on a hill known as the "rock pile," where hundreds of fans had gathered to watch the race. The truck rolled into the crowd, which had crept to within a few feet of the track, just minutes after the race began.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-desert-crash-20101120,0,2323602.story

[Trajan]

1. I grieve for all that were lost ...

But I have to ask - Where is personal responsibility here ? ....

I mean .... watching trucks racing at great speed, in the desert .... from a few feet away ?

Even in my drunkest, most adolescent, idiotic, lame-ass moments ... I would have stayed well clear of that track .... Even then: 50 feet might getcha killed too ....

Any parents that brought their kids that close to racing trucks ? .... Would they bring them to a freeway center median, and stand next to the fast lane, marveling at the pretty high speed vehicles whizzing by ?

Pitiful, deadly ignorance ....