Tragic Pro Modified accident in the US........

[Rat_Fink_67]

Just been reading up on this......

http://www.promodsource.com/forums/showthread.php?...

Troy Critchley was doing demonstration burnouts in "The Other Jackhammer" P/X Corvette at a children's charity bash. Unfortunately, it seems the road conditions sent the car fishtailing in to a pole, which in turn sent the car in to the crowd.

4 people have died and at least 15 are injured.

Thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the injured and deceased in what was a real freak accident.

Troy was taken to hospital but is apparently ok, but must be in real bad shape right now.

[nitromaniac]

http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/drag-racin...

Death toll has now risen to seven.

My prayers go out to the families of the injured and deceased.

BURNOUTS SHOULD BE KEPT TO THE DRAG STRIPS

[Furyous]

Oh boocks.
Sympathies to all involved.................

[Nitrohaulic]

Here's the organization's website. If you click on multimedia you'll see burnouts performed at previous events.

http://www.carsforkidsusa.org/

[kestral]

I have just watched the video. Somebody is going to get hauled over the coals for allowing that. God only knows where the Health and Safety people where.

[nitromaniac]

The lawsuits following this tragic accident will go into the millions of $$$$, this will be the end of the AMS.

[Time Machine]

nitromaniac said:

The lawsuits following this tragic accident will go into the millions of $$$$, this will be the end of the AMS.

Once again, my advice in the event of a tragedy such as this is to let the official bodies conduct their inquiries and not to gossip about the whole event with wild speculation and rumour. I think your above point is wide of the mark for many reasons, but in line with my previous statement I see little point in discussing it.

[Glenn R]

Whilst I agree with the not speculating statement, there is really no harm in talking these issues over, attracting a little bit of debate. Had this been any fatal incident in the public domain but outside of our sport, then we would all chatter wouldn't we?
I think that it opens people's eyes to the potential that there is, and sadly we all learn by tradegies. I don't see improving safety after an accident as 'after the horse has bolted' agreed it would have be great if accidents didn't occur but we must all take the chance to learn by mistakes.
For instance we are all much safer in the tube stations of London following the tragic Kings Cross fire, or safety in sportsgrounds is more robust since the Bradford City fire.
So, it is correct not to speculate but I feel that we should chatter and act responsibly whilst we do so

[Time Machine]

Glenn R said:

Whilst I agree with the not speculating statement, there is really no harm in talking these issues over, attracting a little bit of debate. Had this been any fatal incident in the public domain but outside of our sport, then we would all chatter wouldn't we?
I think that it opens people's eyes to the potential that there is, and sadly we all learn by tradegies. I don't see improving safety after an accident as 'after the horse has bolted' agreed it would have be great if accidents didn't occur but we must all take the chance to learn by mistakes.
For instance we are all much safer in the tube stations of London following the tragic Kings Cross fire, or safety in sportsgrounds is more robust since the Bradford City fire.
So, it is correct not to speculate but I feel that we should chatter and act responsibly whilst we do so

Obviously there are lessons to be learned from the incident and an intelligent discussion could well draw more of these out than are immediately obvious, but sensationalist speculation creates negative publicity for the sport. I have already read in the Metro an article quoting a supposed Drag Racing fan who gets things wrong and makes sweeping statements.

Fairly obvious conclusions are to have safety barriers which extend further than the immediate vicinity of the action in case of any unforeseen events, to ensure those barriers are sufficiently substantial for the power involved, and to create empty space between the barriers and action area in which spectators are not allowed. These all already happen at sanctioned dragstrips and it is easy to say they should have been in place for a demonstration event, but how many people have stood near something similar themselves and not made a public outcry? I have seen demonstration events by cars and not felt the barriers to be sufficient should one of them lose control, all I did was not stand there.

People hate the words but this incident clearly indicates the need for thorough risk assessments before mixing people and engines.

[Furyous]

Thinking about it,there have been more people hurt/killed/maimed/injured at these supposed "demonstrations" than ever actually at the strip.

All these situations seem to be too relaxed, nobody appears to think its as dangerous as it is at the strip.Even the drivers themselves seem to take risks they wouldnt dream of at the track.

[liner33]

The video is available here

http://www.filecabi.net/video/ten-drag.html

I have no real comment to add

[Rat_Fink_67]

If you look at the Cars for Kids website, this has been happening for 18 years incident free. I guess after all those years they figured everything would be ok. There's a movie clip of last year's event where Doug Palmer performed a similar display in his "Voodoo" '63 Corvette.

From reading the team's latest press release, it seems they were given the go ahead from the Police after they assessed the situation and attempted to move the crowd away from the side of the road.

As said elsewhere though, nobody knows what happened inside that car other than Troy so until an official account of what happened is released, we'll never know for sure.

[kestral]

The longer a dangerous activity goes on the greater the danger. Not the safer it is!

[veryoldfart]

I can see a recipe for disaster in the TF+FC pits at SPR, firstly from noise and fumes (for the public) and then from having nitro motors fired up with wheels spun at speed whilst jacked up, im suprised that wasnt the target of H&S instead of the barn....


has as been said, cos it hasnt happened, dont mean it wont.....

[Nitroalkyholic]

veryoldfart said:

I can see a recipe for disaster in the TF+FC pits at SPR, firstly from noise and fumes (for the public) and then from having nitro motors fired up with wheels spun at speed whilst jacked up, im suprised that wasnt the target of H&S instead of the barn....


has as been said, cos it hasnt happened, dont mean it wont.....

Whoa back, Dont start giving ideas out or you might just see it happen and spectators get banned from the pits, Thats the one thing drag racing has over most motorsports and what makes it so appealing.

Cars are pitted so people cant get down the side, and so be in the way of engines letting go in the pits, and also for pit space.

As for noise, well theres more noise on the bank with two fuellers at the hit than warming them up in the pits, health and safety is everyones responsability, and everyone should be wearing ear defenders when a motor is running, thats your choice, your risk !!

Fumes, dont like em , then move away as no one is making you stand there, If you do like them, then do what crews do and wear a gas mask, simple !!

Wheels turning at speed, well IF it did jump off the stands, then chances are its going through the pit, away from them anyway, unless it happens when checking reverse gear, very small chance, but i cant remember a car jumping off stands, it may have happened but i have not seen it.

Darren

Edited by Nitroalkyholic on Sunday 24th June 22:40

Edited by Nitroalkyholic on Sunday 24th June 22:41

[nitromaniac]

Father of teen killed in dragster crash sues for $10 million in damages.
And that's just the start.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/27/carshow.deaths.ap...

[Dilligaf10]

Nitroalkyholic said:

veryoldfart said:

I can see a recipe for disaster in the TF+FC pits at SPR, firstly from noise and fumes (for the public) and then from having nitro motors fired up with wheels spun at speed whilst jacked up, im suprised that wasnt the target of H&S instead of the barn....


has as been said, cos it hasnt happened, dont mean it wont.....

Whoa back, Dont start giving ideas out or you might just see it happen and spectators get banned from the pits, Thats the one thing drag racing has over most motorsports and what makes it so appealing.

Cars are pitted so people cant get down the side, and so be in the way of engines letting go in the pits, and also for pit space.

As for noise, well theres more noise on the bank with two fuellers at the hit than warming them up in the pits, health and safety is everyones responsability, and everyone should be wearing ear defenders when a motor is running, thats your choice, your risk !!

Fumes, dont like em , then move away as no one is making you stand there, If you do like them, then do what crews do and wear a gas mask, simple !!

Wheels turning at speed, well IF it did jump off the stands, then chances are its going through the pit, away from them anyway, unless it happens when checking reverse gear, very small chance, but i cant remember a car jumping off stands, it may have happened but i have not seen it.

Darren

Edited by Nitroalkyholic on Sunday 24th June 22:40

Edited by Nitroalkyholic on Sunday 24th June 22:41

MSA Rules state that the vehicle must be pointed towards a tow vehicle or similar with all wheels off the deck on stands. Fire extinguisher must be present, etc, etc. The rules are already in place as we all know.

[liner33]

Even when running a drag bike in the pits the rider must have their hand cover the brake at all times

[Nitrohaulic]

So, H&S is a government agency you folks have over there? What do they do, go around making arbitrary rules concerning things they know almost nothing about?

[Furyous]

Nitrohaulic said:

So, H&S is a government agency you folks have over there? What do they do, go around making arbitrary rules concerning things they know almost nothing about?

Mostly, yes.


In a very tongue in cheek stylee...

edited to assure the masses my comment was light hearted.

Edited by Furyous on Thursday 28th June 18:32