Thaindian News

Aug 17 (THAINDIAN NEWS) There were hundreds of racing fans present at the California 200, a race which took place on Saturday night in the Mojave Desert, watching in horror as a driver lost control of his truck after taking a jump, and rolled his truck sideways into the crowd, killing eight people and injuring twelve.

The horrific crash came soon after the beginning of the race, according to the San Bernardino County sheriff’s office spokeswoman Cindy Bachman. Rescue vehicles and helicopters took over thirty minutes to reach the remote accident scene, while spectators and off-duty fire fighters helped those who were injured. Six people were dead at the scene and two more died at the hospital. Twelve others were airlifted to the Loma Linda University Medical Center or St. Mary’s Medical Center.

David Conklin, a photographer who was covering the race gave his account, “There was dust everywhere, people screaming, people running. When I got up to the vehicle I could tell that several people were trapped. There were just bodies everywhere,” he said. “One woman with a major head wound (was) lying in a pool of blood. Someone else was crushed beneath the car.”

The truck landed upside down, where members of the crowd rushed to flip it over, and help anyone pinned beneath it. The driver was unharmed but reportedly had to flee the scene to escape from angry spectators.

In a report from ‘The Associated Press’, the California Highway Patrol named the driver in that accident as 28 year old Brett M Sloppy of San Marcos. Alcohol was not said to be involved in the crash, and no charges will be filed since the race was a sanctioned event. The California Highway Patrol estimated Sloppy’s speed at 45 to 50 miles per hour at the time of the crash. Sloppy will not be arrested, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Joaquin Zubieta.

This is unfortunately not the case in the case of another horrific crash which occurred at a race in Accokeek, Maryland in February of 2008. This race was an illegal street race which took place on a suburban road Route 210 at around 3 am. Darren Bullock was racing in a white Ford Victoria and his opponent, Tavon Taylor was driving a green Mercury Marquis.

Bullock was in the lead, which caused him to be the one which smashed into a group of people who had wandered onto the road after watching the beginning of another illegal street race. Bulloch killed eight people and injured five. He was sentenced in March of 2010 to fifteen years in prison for manslaughter. Tavon was still said to be awaiting sentencing.