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08-15-2010, 10:38 AM
Eight people killed and 12 injured as car ploughs into crowds at California motor race
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Last updated at 12:28 PM on 15th August 2010
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Eight people were killed and another 12 injured in a horrific smash during an off-road race in California last night.
One of the cars in the California 200 race ploughed into the crowd at high speed after careering over a jump not long after the start.
Victims were crushed beneath the car and bleeding on the ground. Some of the wounded had serious injuries and were airlifted to hospital.
Officials said the driver was not hurt but had to flee the scene to escape angry spectators.
The 200-mile race is part of a series held in Soggy Dry Lake Bed near the city of Lucerne Valley in the Mojave Desert, 100 miles north east of Los Angeles.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/15/article-1303242-0ACD2087000005DC-78_468x310.jpg Smash: An off-road car on its back after the horror crash at the California 200 race last night, in which eight people were killed
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/15/article-1303242-0ACD7D67000005DC-73_468x286.jpg Panic: Spectators rush to help a victim trapped under the car
David Conklin, a photographer who had been covering the event, said the car had been among the first 20 off the line and had just gone over a jump called the 'rockpile'.
He watched the vehicle sail through the air and had turned back to wait for the next one to go past when he heard a commotion.
'I heard screaming and shouting,' he said. 'I saw one woman with a major head wound lying in a pool of blood. Someone else was crushed beneath the car.'
San Bernardino County Fire sent seven ambulances and 10 aircraft to the scene.
The sheriff's spokesman Cindy Bachman said the California Highway Patrol is investigating.
Tens of thousands go to watch the California 200, where dune buggy-style cars leap jumps and other obstacles around and off-road course.
The cars reach speeds up to 100 mph on the 50-mile course. The race had been scheduled to last through the night.
The crowd was standing within 10 feet of the track with no guard rails separating them from the speeding vehicles.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/15/article-1303242-0ACD9D34000005DC-111_468x297.jpg In shock: Police at the scene of the crash in Lucerne Valley last night
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/15/article-1303242-0ACD9D14000005DC-347_468x286.jpg The car lost control after careering over a jump at the start of the race
'There were no barriers at all,' Jeff Talbott, inland division chief for the California Highway Patrol, told the Riverside Press-Enterprise.
He said that the driver, who wasn't named, was forced to run from the scene when the crowd grew unruly and some began throwing rocks at him.
It was not clear why he lost control of the truck.
The CHP does not normally investigate crashes at organized races, but took the lead on this probe because of its scope.
The event was sponsored by the South El Monte-based Mojave Desert Racing, who were unavailable for comment today.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/15/article-1303242-0ACD9CE3000005DC-923_468x517.jpg Debris from the scene of an accident litters the ground today
The crash is the latest in a series of race accidents that have proved deadly to spectators.
A car plowed into a crowd that had gathered to watch an illegal drag race on a suburban road in Accokeek, Maryland, in February 2008, killing eight people and injuring five.
The two racers were charged with vehicular manslaughter. Darren Bullock, 22, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Tavon Taylor, 20, is awaiting trial.
In Chandler, Arizona, in February, a woman was killed by a tire that flew off a crashing dragster at Chandler's Firebird International Raceway for the NHRA Arizona Nationals.
In Selmer, Tennessee, a dragster went out of control and smashed into spectators during a fundraising festival in June 2007, killing six people and injuring 22.
Driver Troy Critchley, 38, was convicted of misdemeanor reckless assault charges and sentenced to 18 months' probation.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/15/article-1303242-0ACD1A4F000005DC-610_468x407.jpg Popular: Tens of thousands go to watch the event in the Lucerne Valley
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/15/article-1303242-0ACD26E5000005DC-10_468x286.jpg Dangerous: Lucerne Valley is a popular spot for off-road racing (file picture)
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Last updated at 12:28 PM on 15th August 2010
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Eight people were killed and another 12 injured in a horrific smash during an off-road race in California last night.
One of the cars in the California 200 race ploughed into the crowd at high speed after careering over a jump not long after the start.
Victims were crushed beneath the car and bleeding on the ground. Some of the wounded had serious injuries and were airlifted to hospital.
Officials said the driver was not hurt but had to flee the scene to escape angry spectators.
The 200-mile race is part of a series held in Soggy Dry Lake Bed near the city of Lucerne Valley in the Mojave Desert, 100 miles north east of Los Angeles.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/15/article-1303242-0ACD2087000005DC-78_468x310.jpg Smash: An off-road car on its back after the horror crash at the California 200 race last night, in which eight people were killed
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/15/article-1303242-0ACD7D67000005DC-73_468x286.jpg Panic: Spectators rush to help a victim trapped under the car
David Conklin, a photographer who had been covering the event, said the car had been among the first 20 off the line and had just gone over a jump called the 'rockpile'.
He watched the vehicle sail through the air and had turned back to wait for the next one to go past when he heard a commotion.
'I heard screaming and shouting,' he said. 'I saw one woman with a major head wound lying in a pool of blood. Someone else was crushed beneath the car.'
San Bernardino County Fire sent seven ambulances and 10 aircraft to the scene.
The sheriff's spokesman Cindy Bachman said the California Highway Patrol is investigating.
Tens of thousands go to watch the California 200, where dune buggy-style cars leap jumps and other obstacles around and off-road course.
The cars reach speeds up to 100 mph on the 50-mile course. The race had been scheduled to last through the night.
The crowd was standing within 10 feet of the track with no guard rails separating them from the speeding vehicles.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/15/article-1303242-0ACD9D34000005DC-111_468x297.jpg In shock: Police at the scene of the crash in Lucerne Valley last night
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/15/article-1303242-0ACD9D14000005DC-347_468x286.jpg The car lost control after careering over a jump at the start of the race
'There were no barriers at all,' Jeff Talbott, inland division chief for the California Highway Patrol, told the Riverside Press-Enterprise.
He said that the driver, who wasn't named, was forced to run from the scene when the crowd grew unruly and some began throwing rocks at him.
It was not clear why he lost control of the truck.
The CHP does not normally investigate crashes at organized races, but took the lead on this probe because of its scope.
The event was sponsored by the South El Monte-based Mojave Desert Racing, who were unavailable for comment today.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/15/article-1303242-0ACD9CE3000005DC-923_468x517.jpg Debris from the scene of an accident litters the ground today
The crash is the latest in a series of race accidents that have proved deadly to spectators.
A car plowed into a crowd that had gathered to watch an illegal drag race on a suburban road in Accokeek, Maryland, in February 2008, killing eight people and injuring five.
The two racers were charged with vehicular manslaughter. Darren Bullock, 22, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Tavon Taylor, 20, is awaiting trial.
In Chandler, Arizona, in February, a woman was killed by a tire that flew off a crashing dragster at Chandler's Firebird International Raceway for the NHRA Arizona Nationals.
In Selmer, Tennessee, a dragster went out of control and smashed into spectators during a fundraising festival in June 2007, killing six people and injuring 22.
Driver Troy Critchley, 38, was convicted of misdemeanor reckless assault charges and sentenced to 18 months' probation.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/15/article-1303242-0ACD1A4F000005DC-610_468x407.jpg Popular: Tens of thousands go to watch the event in the Lucerne Valley
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/15/article-1303242-0ACD26E5000005DC-10_468x286.jpg Dangerous: Lucerne Valley is a popular spot for off-road racing (file picture)
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