Several Dead In Off-Road Racing Accident In Lucerne Valley

• Not enough cushion between each driver at the start is the root cause of this disaster. Cheerleaders stand too close to the field and off-road spectators are going to watch from shoulder. Would�ve never happened if drivers were started further apart and if driver wasn�t carrying excessive speed. It's not stock car racing on an oval track. They�re racing the clock, not each other. Guard rails? That would be like building The Great Wall of China. People were too close to the starting line, not the track. Certainly would be safer if crowds were farther away from track. But this is rally/off-road racing. It�s part of the sport for people to be right up on the track. This is a rare occurrence and not because people were too close. Don�t be na� by crying guard rails. Look again and look closer. Truck before was traveling at a slower rate or speed. The truck behind the slower truck caught up to truck in front. Typically for any competitive racer, adrenaline starts to course when racer can see progress of getting closer and bearing down on its competitor. That coupled with just coming off the starting line and not enough time elapsing in the race to settle in and establish a pace or a tempo if you will. Right off the start everyone is fueled with adrenaline and dashing for the hole shot. The 3rd element for a recipe for disaster, closing in on a crowd of fans getting closer that always encourages more speed and compromises judgment. Take notice of the first truck, not the slow truck but the one at beginning of video. Had good throttle control to come off the jump and land on all four wheels. Now watch the truck that crashed. Carrying too much speed all the way past the crowd and up to the jump. Lets off throttle just a hair too early shifting the weight of chassis to the front, causing the truck to come down too hard and fast on the right front corner. The dust cloud conceals what happens next but eyewitnesses describe an out of control vehicle striking people as it rolled off course. I flip through the news stations on TV expecting to see plane crashes and natural disasters. I think I�ve become conditioned and de-sensitized to bad news and horrific accidents. But this tragedy seems to have really hit home. Don�t know why and not sure if I care why. I�m not an expert or a professional off-road racer. Just someone who has viewed that video a few times too many. It�s an emotional and instinctive reaction to blame the people or the driver or race organizers. Many things have to go wrong for people to get killed and injured. Can�t believe the trash talking and harsh judgment people are casting down with comments left on the internet. Regardless of who�s to blame, I�m guessing that the family and friends of the people that are no longer with us don�t need to hear that they had it coming. Hard to believe people really think like that. And then post their ignorant, uneducated opinion on very public web sites from the comfort and safety of their living room while the cable TV washes over them. I don�t think it�s possible for a blogger or a YouTube wannabe to stand in front of the driver of this vehicle, look him in the eye and tell him these insensitive and callas comments circulating throughout the world. Pretty sure that this was not an intentional or deliberate act. Friends and family of the deceased as well as the driver, need our support. The video does not show the decisions made by race organizers leading up to the event. Video does not show race vehicles starting 10 seconds apart. Video does not show management allowing crowds of people to gather within a mile or two from the starting line. The video does tell the story and shows the result.

• What a horrible accident, my condolences to the family of the deceased and I pray for the recovery of the others who were injured in the crash. It's possible that the driver committed an error and it would be easy to lose control of your vehicle while going at a high rate of speed but still..the race organizers should have at least ensured that the spectator were at a safe distance from the race.

• For the ignorant person, Ahyoka, who wrote up at the top that the driver was to blame, all I have to say to you is you were obviously not there and need to shut your mouth! I was in the accident and he was coming toward me when another spectator ran in front of me-trying to escape, when the truck plowed into him. The truck slammed into him which sent him plowed into me.I flew in the air and through a greasewood, landing on my arm; braking it in two places. The man who lost his life by saving mine was lying dead beside me. I was there. I lived it, I survived it and I will tell anyone with the balls to blame that poor driver that he is NOT to blame! Sloppy (the driver) did not tell myself or the hundreds of other spectators to stand as close as we were. He did not decide that morning when he woke up that he was going to take eight lives and devistate hundreds of others. We the Spectators made our own sound choice to stand where we were and we need to take our own responsibility. I feel for that driver and for the families devastated by their loss. Ignorance needs to be unspoken. So to those who were NOT there and feel they have the right to voice and point blame on the innocent, all I want to say is shut your face!

• Ahyoka stfu.

• I was reading - No one is to blame! That wrong - To Blame is the San Bernardino County and the State and the organizer - that they allow this kind of event with out any medical stuff and Fire protection -and it is from each race driver irresponsible to attend on this race to know this - how stupid is this - first- people must died ? look at the rave event after dead - the city steps in - fro what get the f... city major paid - that wrong the and don't have the slightest notion this kind of problems -

• I know the driver, and for your concern, he is devastated about what happened, living with it is enough, it was not his fault people choose to stand that close to begin with. it says in the guild lines YOU ARE AT YOUR OWN RISK, and spectators must stand 100 ft. MIN. away from the track, people took down the guards that day. I was there, quite close to the crash. Luckily not as close as some. You should def take into consideration how brett is feeling, because i am sure, living with that is enough torture. he doesn't deserve to have people bringing him down more about things like this. he is a great person, and would never do anything like this intentionally, nor would he be under the influence, knowing he would be driving.

• This is a devistating loss for all families involved. I think alot of people are being ignorant though for thinking the driver or the organization should be held responsible for this. Anyone who is going to drive out to these events in the middle of desert needs to be responsible for themselves... I think all parties should be tested for alcohol not just the driver. We go to these places for this reason to race. If people take it apon themselves to go out there, they need to be responsible for themselves. I prey for anyone suffering due to this. But individuals need to start being accountable for their own actions and stop blaming others for things they don't understand. God Bless...

• L A weekly readers and writers have absolutely zero experience in off road racing. All the accounts broadcast by the media have either been incredibly slanted or inaccurate. Nobody can put up 50 MILES of barricades in open desert for a 7-hour event. No race promoter can control a mob that congregates 2 miles from the start line. Ahyoka says: "Was this guy tested for drugs/alcohol?? He should be held accountable, the organization for sure! for not having any guard rails with a crowd of thousands" Nobody races offroad drunk. All you would do is puke in your helmet.

• I agree with Corrine, my husband was standing 100 feet from where those eight individual's died. He said that the each time a truck passed by, the spectators would get onto the track. This was a very tragic accident and although you never want to put blame on the victim's, from what we we're told by actual people that were right there when it happened, some blame needs to be put on the spectators. There was no reason for them to be that close to the track with vehicles traveling well over 70 sometimes faster depending on the circumstances of there road.

• How can you possibly think that! Okay, then you guys can get your happy butts out there every other weekend and put those guard rails up for that 200 mile track! Have you ever been to Lucerne?! They don't exactly have a whole hell of a lot of money in the first place! People should take better responsibility for their own actions! The whole situation is sad, but honestly those people were way to close to the track. If they had been the required 150 feet from the track line the death and ingury toll wouldn't have been so high if any at all. The driver lost control, hence the word "accident" used in the headline! Things break on those vehicles all the time and it's just common sense to stand far enough away from the track that if a freak accident does occur other people aren't involved. The High Desert will remember this incident and hopefully those yahoos will think twice about how close to the tracks they park themselves.

• I have been involved in Off Road Racing for 25 years and have always thought that the crowds were way to close............way to close.........how very sad for the driver and the familes who lost love ones. Maybe it time to pull the crowds back to a safe distance for EVERYOnES safety.

• I have been around this racing my whole life and I have never seen anything like this but you have to remember this what you call an accident it is no ones fault in any way shape or form. If you are going to blame any one it should be the organizers for not having iguard rails put up. People go out to these races to see a show and most don't realize what there really going to see, would you stand on the side of the freeway to watch the cars go by? I don't think so. From what I hear the driver had a hard landing and lost control after the jump, this is no ones fault and people need to forgive. I think this is a big eye opener for many people and hopefully nothing like this ever happens again. My prayers go out to the families that lost love ones.

• Was this guy tested for drugs/alcohol?? He should be held accountable, the organization for sure! for not having any guard rails with a crowd of thousands. The families of the dead will be angry for a long time. They will go through depression, bouts of deep sadness. They will need therapy to cope with this tragedy considering how some of the bodies were mutilated. I hope this driver has the courage to apologize both in person and by letter to all families. He should begin a new life of retribution to all families. Make a check list and see what he can personally do for every family for the rest of his life. It's the game he played. By doing this, he may begin to heal because if he's a man with any sort of conscience then he himself needs healing and if not, well.. may the great spirit and the power of the universe intervene.

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