Thaindian News

By Madhuri Dey
Aug 16, (THAINDIAN NEWS) A weekend off-road race in southern California’s Mojave Desert, near the Lucerne Valley turned out deadly when a contestant lost control of his pick-up truck and landed straight in midst of the spectators killing eight and injuring almost double the number. The accident took place at around 7:40 p.m. on Saturday (0240 GMT Sunday) during the California 200 event that is held in Soggy Dry Lake Bed.

Joaquin Zubieta, the spokesman of the California Highway Patrol said that six of the seventeen injured persons are in critical condition and have been shifted to medical centers. He also added that seven of the eight people killed in the accident have been identified by the police department. The San Bernardino County coroner on Sunday released the names of the seven of identified persons who have lost their life in the accident. A Las Vegas woman and three men from San Diego have lost their life.

The crash reportedly occurred when the driver of the pick-up truck identified as 28-year-old Brett Sloppy lost control of his vehicle during a jump. He was driving at a speed of 40 to 50 miles per hour when the accident occurred. Joaquin Zubieta has mentioned that Brett Sloppy got airborne and when he landed his car rolled over straight into the spectators who were caught off-guard and did not get much time to get out of the way of the car. The California Highway Patrol spokesman said that Brett Sloppy was not driving under the influence of alcohol and has not been charged in the crash. Reports claimed that the spectators had moved close to the race track out of excitement during the race.