• 29
  • September
    2011

Crashes in off-road racing are not uncommon. This is why it is especially important when planning such an event to make sure that anyone near the vicinity is safe from physical harm and wrongful death.

An off-road monster truck race in the Mohave Desert last summer was advertised as a fun family activity. For the many Californians who attended the "California 200" event, it turned out, instead, to be a nightmare.

According to the rules of the California 200, spectators were to stand 100 feet away from the course. However, the racetrack was unmarked and unfenced, leaving the crowd vulnerable and unaware of the extreme danger they were in as the modified pickup trucks raced by.

One of the monster trucks did crash into a crowd of spectators, flipped over and landed on its roof. Eight people were killed and many more were injured at the race in Lucerne Valley.

Several families have filed wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits in San Diego federal court recently. The driver, the race promoter and the federal government are all accused of negligence, which resulted in the deadly crash.

Who is to blame for this horrific truck accident? Is it the promoters who carelessly planned the disorganized race and did not protect its viewers?

Is it the government, which failed to confirm that the promoters would ensure the safety of everyone at the California event?

Was it the driver for failing to drive safely and avoid crashing into people? The pending lawsuits will sort through these issues and assign responsibility to those who were negligent.

Source: MercuryNews.com, "Feds sued over deadly Mojave Desert off-road race," Sept. 14, 2011