8 dead at Mohave Truck Rally

[RallyDude]

I was surprised that no one had posted about this yet.

What a terrible crash. I've thought for a long while that rally spectators get way too close to the competition. It really seemed like it was only a matter of time. I think this incident will have nation-wide, if not world-wide consequences. I hope that rally spectators won't lose interest as they will likely be required to maintain a safe distance.

I feel sorry for all the families of the dead (8) and wounded (15) and the driver who wasn't physically hurt, but I can't imagine how he's feeling right now.

[BigSwede]

What a terrible crash. I've thought for a long while that rally spectators get way too close to the competition. It really seemed like it was only a matter of time.
No doubt...almost every rally I have seen footage of seems like folks are in harms way.



I feel sorry for all the families of the dead (8) and wounded (15) and the driver who wasn't physically hurt, but I can't imagine how he's feeling right now.
Absolutely.

[Gussie2000]

Is always sad fo read or hear those kind of incidents,specially when the the intent of those events is to entertain families & rally fans.

I use to rally back in the 90's in my country & always thought at every race about this situation having spectators just feets away from rally cars driving by so close.

To all relatives and families my sincere condolences

[WormGod]

I feel bad for the families and driver, but ya know, not so much for the irresponsible bystanders. It all comes down to respect for your own safety. If you're an idiot enough to stand on harm's way or not even have the common sense to know you are in harm's way, no sympathy. I have attended enough rallies and witnessed these adrenaline junkies first hand. RallyX is one thing cause generally the cars aren't pulling the speeds these super modified desert crawlers are. These super modified are HAULING.

Someone is plowing through the desert at night, full throttle, and you wanna stand all up on the trail? Well, they should hand you your Darwin before you even head out to find a good seat.

Ya, kind of a dick opinion, but this happens in WRC all the time and nobody cries about it. But we are Amurricans. We cry anytime something is tagged "a tragedy". We are !@#$sies and whine that EVERYTHING must be safe. Next thing ya know, restrictions are put in place and our sports are dumbed down, yet again. Good lord, even our adults apparently need baby sitters.

[Luna X]

I feel bad for the families and driver, but ya know, not so much for the irresponsible bystanders. It all comes down to respect for your own safety. If you're an idiot enough to stand on harm's way or not even have the common sense to know you are in harm's way, no sympathy. I have attended enough rallies and witnessed these adrenaline junkies first hand. RallyX is one thing cause generally the cars aren't pulling the speeds these super modified desert crawlers are. These super modified are HAULING.

Someone is plowing through the desert at night, full throttle, and you wanna stand all up on the trail? Well, they should hand you your Darwin before you even head out to find a good seat.

Ya, kind of a dick opinion, but this happens in WRC all the time and nobody cries about it. But we are Amurricans. We cry anytime something is tagged "a tragedy". We are !@#$sies and whine that EVERYTHING must be safe. Next thing ya know, restrictions are put in place and our sports are dumbed down, yet again. Good lord, even our adults apparently need baby sitters.

X2

[nfpgasmask]

X2

X3, bigtime.

Bart

[VX KAT]

X3, bigtime.

Bart
x4...OK I know this is getting redundant.
Yes, it is sad that anybody died or was injured, that's a given here, but I believe strongly in self responsibility. I do feel sympathy for the families of all since they weren't the ones that stood 3 ft from a speeding race vehicle. And I agree, these kind of irresponsible actions by some do cause the dumbing down of many many things in our lives....thanks to plaintiff attorneys. I spent 25 yrs in the business of "risk management"..the science of assessing risk (in health care).....and I've seen a ton of dumb things.

To quote my favorite comic....
"you just can't fix stupid"....
-Ron White

And Jay Leno has a new segment called "what did you think was going to happen?"

Just my opinions....

[Scott Harness]

:_iamwiths Get out of the road!... plus what everyone else said

[Triathlete]

One of the guys that dieds friend was on the news this morning saying how he thought that the driver should have had the common sense to slow down in crowded areas!
WHAT? It is a race with money on the line.
He never mentioned that the fans should have the common sense to give these speeding off road rockets the space they need to do their job.:noy:
Unfortunate typical thinking...blame someone else instead of taking responsibility for ones own actions.
Tragic event...yes. But like said above x5.

[Y33TREKker]

One of the guys that dieds friend was on the news this morning saying how he thought that the driver should have had the common sense to slow down in crowded areas!
Sounds like he was probably the reason his neighborhood streets had "Slow Children Playing" signs (*) when he was a kid. :smilewink

(*) No offense meant to all Children Playing out there whose brains work at normal speeds.

[RickOKC]

What a horror. I’ve seen videos of other rally races gone wrong so I wasn’t surprised to hear about this. I’m always amazed how reckless people are with their own safety. I see it every single day - people slowly walking across the street because "traffic HAS to stop for ME" and others riding their bicycles in 50 MPH zones during rush hour traffic. I wouldn't consider doing either with all the sleepy drivers in the morning who are probably stirring their coffee and texting as they drive. I know we have some avid bike riders here - please, please, please be careful! We had 3 fatalities in the metro in the last month, all in rural areas with speed limits of 50 MPH or above.

[Ascinder]

This guy (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?id=5467664) pretty much sums it up.

[RallyDude]

The film showed people just before the whole crowd within 10 feet of the track. The people that died were within 10 feet of the track right after a jump. Obviously not a bright area to stand.

What's is strange to me is the mob mentality. It's not that some people were to close, they ALL were too close.

Why is this so unique to Rally. You don't see NASCAR participants standing next to the track? Racing is about driving close to the limit. You can't fault a driver for trying to win. I just don't understand requiring the driver to wear a helmet and fire suit, and he's INSIDE the car, while participants with nothing more on than a T-shirt are allowed to stand inches from the action?

I don't agree with dumbing down the sport, but what about stringing some lines where people watch these events? It's not fair to the drivers to make them feel if they make a small mistake, that it will cost the lives of several enthusiasts and ruin families.

[WormGod]

I heard this so don't know if it is a valid fact, that the driver was pelted with stones when he crawled out of the overturned truck. WHAT?! :mad:

You know, if anything, this WAS an amateur event too, so really, stand as close to the passing vehicles as possible. It doesn't make sense with professional drivers, SO WHY IS IT RIGHT WITH AMATEUR ONES!!!!!!!

You !@#$ing idiots! :upsetgray

Sorry, really pi55es me off. I have run autoX for years and even though not as high profile as desert romps and rally, NOBODY has ever been stupid enough to be near the track. Not only for their safety, but out of respect for the competitors on the track. Any race fan knows that, so it just tells me that these clowns are hardly real fans. Back to the NASCAR oval with you idiots.

[ZEUS]

I heard the same and that he had to run from the scene.

[nfpgasmask]

Sounds like he was probably the reason his neighborhood streets had "Slow Children Playing" signs (*) when he was a kid. :smilewink

(*) No offense meant to all Children Playing out there whose brains work at normal speeds.

Don't get me started on that. In my neighborhood, this one family has a bunch of kids and they have taken it upon themselves to put out their own orange cones allovertheplace and "Slow, Children At Play" signs. Personally, I find it annoying and I want to run over the cones and all the signs right in front of them, albeit slowly. :laughing: Lucky for them, it is one street over and I never drive over there.

When I was a kid, I rode my bike EVERYWHERE. No helmet, no pads. My mom told me to STAY OUT OF THE STREET and when crossing, LOOK BOTH WAYS FIRST. I understand, its a neighborhood side street, and you have to be careful and drive slow, but we all have back yards here. Make your kids play there, or take them to the park or whatever. The pavement is FOR CARS. The street is NOT a playground. Teach your kids to stay out of the way of moving metal boxes. Its common sense!!

Sorry for the rant.

Bart

[Ascinder]

Amen to that. Same when I was a kid. Yesterday I was riding my motorcycle home and there were kids with a bike ramp set up dead center in the middle of a side street. Not only were they riding around without a care in the world but the ramp was a faded black which blended into the asphalt all too well. Even if you missed the kids, your car would get trashed if you hit that.

[BigSwede]

I finally saw footage of the crash site last night on the news...those people were WAY too close. These drivers had like one lane wide between the people to go over a jump at 60 mph. Did those people ever consider sometimes things break? Truck loses a tie rod or blows a tire at speed and they will be plowing through that crowd despite the best intentions of the driver. Ridiculous, unnecessary tragedy.

[Triathlete]

In my neighborhood, this one family has a bunch of kids and they have taken it upon themselves to put out their own orange cones allovertheplace

Your own personal VX slolum course! Whoohoo!:bwgy:

[vt_maverick]

This should be the only kind of crowd-endangering crash...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5gWJVSNsCk&feature=fvw

[newthings]

Now the lawsuits begin
Sue Darwin.
Roy

[Dumke]

OK sorry been here and there and trying to catch up on all things VX but alas this topic has taken up my whole lunch lol. So I had to go find the video because people at work are talking about it to me and because of this topic. I have seen the video and with all that being said.



Serves them right. Think of it a way to weed out the stupid people. Sorry if this is upsets anyone but know the risk your taking. Its not sad that people died more so that the parents died and kids died because they were idiots and decided to get them and their kids closer to see the action. The kids that lived look now they dont have a dad/mom. People are just plain idiots.. By no means am I not saying dont take risk. Risk are fun and yes I have taken them myself being a parent i.e standing on top of my truck while on a cliff.. But know your risk. Know the concequences of your risk. My motorcycle safety course instructor said it best "how much risk are you willing to take?". Yes sure its fun to get up there close in whatever racing it is but if something fails dont blame someone else. PEOPLE when coffee comes off the pot its going to be hot. I really think these companies or people that get sued should counter sue for stupidity or no comon sense. And to parents think about your kids dont let them suffer from your poor decision.

As I always tell my kids with anything even walking in a grocery store. People arent gonna look out for you you need to look out for you.

Sorry stuff like this irks me. I think I am done.. :) </end rant>


My apologies again if I upset anyone just feel strongly about things lol <hugs> to all and to all the kiddo's out there

[circmand]

many spectators have said they saw no one throwing anything. Maybe they got mixed up with the Tila Tequila concert

[VCrossfan]

I agree on every post. And when the vehicles come close to the crowds and the front row backs up, row 2,3 and 4 push further out to see why row 1 has retreated lol. There big turn-on is touching the trucks as they pass, like running with the Bulls, 2-TON BULLS...

[RickOKC]

Did those people ever consider sometimes things break? Truck loses a tie rod or blows a tire at speed...
Heck, I won't even allow a vehicle on the highway to drive side-by-side with me for those reasons. (You know the type, takes them 30 miles to pass because they won't adjust their cruise control or they're lonely and want a "highway buddy.")

[ZEUS]

This is a pic from a page of a King Shocks brochure I have - this tells the tale perfectly...http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/ScreenHunter_02_Aug_17_18_02.jpg

[Marlin]

This is a pic from a page of a King Shocks brochure I have - this tells the tale perfectly...
When I saw this pic, it made me think of the bugs from Starship Troopers for some reason.

I saw the article when it hit the news, and I immediately thought, there goes another cool sport. They make so many rules and sanctions as to make it not fun. When I left high school in 97,we werent allowed to play dodgeball without helmets and mouthguards anymore, since some kids got a broken nose or busted lips. Our country is falling apart, can't climb a 6' ladder without a harness. I bought a 5 ft step ladder in San Diego, it had an extra non-functional plastic step on it, just for warning stickers!!! They had to be in English and Spanish and every square inch is covered with em. I will have to take a pic of whats left of the warnings, including the warning about the plastic step not actually being a functional step.
Where do we draw the line, is someone going to sue Chevy for the Corvette. Its only purpose is to go fast, faster than the speed limit, so they created it for you to break the law and possibly kill yourself and/or others, sounds like a good case for the California court system to me. Now that I think about it, I burned myself with a light bulb once...SAS swap, here I come!!!!!!!!!!

[So-CalVX]

i was actually supposed to be at that event... got invited by a girl but ended up staying in town for a party... like everyone says its horrible and u can't really blame anyone except the people dumb enough to stand at a jump landing area... I've been following this a bit and no one from the race has anything to say about it, it's people who want to start problems and ban all things fun who are raising cane. the family and friends of the driver and the driver himself feel horrible about it. the family and friends of the victims are hurt and they don't wanna end the sport... people just need to learn where to be during a race

if ur gonna stand in front of a speeding vehicle, ur probably gonna get hurt

[ZEUS]

When I saw this pic, it made me think of the bugs from Starship Troopers for some reason.
I just bought that movie around a week ago! I have friends that were in it because they shot the bug planet scenes near Casper, Wyoming. I see what you mean with your reference.

[WormGod]

Funny you bring that up Bart. I am all for kids being out and about, but ya, they tend to be in the way, harm's way, more often than not. Products of their parents if you ask me.

I HATE when parents baby their brats. For the love of God, get them off the Playstation and outside where they can scrape up their elbows, bloody their noses, roll around in the grass and get dog !@#$ on your shorts, and get dirt behind their ears. Let them breathe in the elements so they can strengthen their immune systems and stave off infections and allergies. Mostly, off their fat arses so they can stay in shape. No Madden 2010 on 360.... get them a !@#$ing pigskin, not a new fan cooled, padded palm controller!!!!

In any case, kids are different than when I was young now and we are doomed. These little babied, inhaler sucking, braces wearing, coke bottle glassed, breast fed till 12 brats are tomorrow's leaders. THIS is why we are becoming a numb society. More safety. No fried food. Can't smoke here. Speed slower here. Can't say that word. You're not allowed to look at that. You touch me or call me that, I'll sue you.

The sign says do this, do that, don't do this....

No.

My sign says....

http://www.breathfreshair.org/Pictures/no_wimps.jpg

[Luna X]

.... now I have the song "Signs" (Five Man Electric Band) in my head ;)

[vt_maverick]

i was actually supposed to be at that event... got invited by a girl but ended up staying in town for a party...

Dude! If you'd have been there you definitely could have scored! Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB7R14xBI6g

[Cobrajet]

.... now I have the song "Signs" (Five Man Electric Band) in my head ;)Same here!

Just to share our pain... Signs by Five Man Electrical Band (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1Q7cP3ij5g)

[Luna X]

Same here!

Just to share our pain... Signs by Five Man Electrical Band (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1Q7cP3ij5g)

I'm glad you posted that link... most of the young folk probably had no idea was I was referring to with that song! ;)

[Triathlete]

I'm glad you posted that link... most of the young folk probably had no idea was I was referring to with that song! ;)

Hell, most of them have probably never even heard the remake...or even know who Tesla is!:bwgy:

[Ascinder]

Hell, most of them have probably never even heard the remake...or even know who Tesla is!

Those doggone whippersnappers:rolly::laughing: