Not good. NOT GOOD AT ALL! 4 people dead.

That car is closer to 1500-2000HP. The only thing I'll say is for those of you defending the driver, watch the video. He stays on it till past the cameraman, probably 200 feet out. Utterly ridiculous on a city street.

 

I was GUESSING 800 HP to be safe, as i couldn't tell from the small picture what it was. But, i just saw the video. That was extremely stupid putting THAT car in the crowded street. I can see a 400 HP bracket car, which could look faster than it really is to please the crowd, and make all the smoke you'd possibly want. But, hey, it's just another opinion. But i love exhibition stuff, and would NEVER put that car up for the task, never. Those cars are all the trouble a tuner could handle "hooking" on a prepared surface.

 

Alright I've had a little time to think this over,, Here's the best analogy I can come up with.


Lets say my buddy Joe has a party, the first couple of years we set off firecrackers and everyone has fun. The next year we get bottle rockets and its more fun. The year after that we get M80s. Biggger bang more fun!!! The next year we get a hand grenade and we are gonna scare the shit outa the neighbors!!! In the proccess we manage to kill and maim a few people.

No one would be asking what went wrong with the grenade, they would be asking what kind of JACKASS BRINGS A HAND GRENADE TO A PARTY????

These things are called cars because they got 4 wheels, and look something like a car. In reality they are a tool, a tool for going fast. Heads up racing the goal is to beat the other to the finish line or (Literally) expire in the attempt. The car doesn't know if its being run for a show or race and it doesn't care! If the car suffered mechanical failure is beside the point. The failure occured when the starter was engaged.

I have said that there are a lot of people in the stupid line, and as much as I really don't like to say it, the driver should have just said no.

If you can't understand what caused this accident by now,, you never will. Sorry if I hurt your feelings.

Hindsight isn't 20/20 because this has happened before. Lets not let it happen again!

I'm off the soap box now.

 

I attended one of their events a couple of months ago in Austin with a couple of HAMB members (hello Coopersmith) and the entrance and exit were totally quiet and under control. I think part of it was that we were in a deaf student campus and you had to be on super high alert (those kids CAN NOT hear you - zoomies or not) but no one did a burnout or anything of the sort. Very casual, and hot, exit. Nice show. Very sad for these families - and tragic for the community.

 

http://www.troycritchley.com/

 

In the past I have been flamed on here for saying people doing burnouts unless on the track are idiots.
This tradgedy just illustrates how terribly wrong something that is meant to be fun can go.
People please remember that the cars we all love are in fact lethal weapons. When the wheels are spinning they no longer have traction hence you no longer have total control. I hope I never hear the "it's traditional to do it" bullshit line again.
My heart goes out to the familys of the young people who have been killed and injured

 

I've only been reading but after reading...

Really, is there anything more to add here?

 

2800 HP blown alky motor Drag Cars - of any type - do there burn outs in third ( or top ) gear.

None of these type cars shift on the burn out.

Something went wrong.

( In to many ways to count right now )

My prayers to all involved.

 

Not trying to argue with ya- some of them probably do stay in top "gear"- but I know of a fair amount of guys who start in second & shift into third during the burnout.

To be honest, with all the spin control going on, if there had been a mechanical failure, I would guess that it would have been mentioned already. The team clearly has no intention of admitting any fault by the driver.

Regardless, it was avoidable....

 

The Driver stayed in it way too long. That team can use the " Lawyer Letter " blaming everybody else but I think the driver should know better. That said what City Officials would permit this shit with the street lined with spectators. Just a Sad, Sad tragic event

 

Watching that made me want to cry, what the fuck were they thinking. The driver should have known better for sure but who approved this shit? As a parent, there is NO way I would've let my kids any where near that shit. Problem is that most people don't understand what cars like that are capable of... unfortunately they do now.

 

You never know when something is gonna go wrong. You play with fire, you will get burned..... eventually.

 

Thanks for posting this. After reading it twice i honestly feel that more than just one person is to blame.

 

This really has nothing to do with the jerkys that do burnouts in thier street rods leaving your local cruise night. They're pretty stupid too.

This is about a very complex and serious race car being used on a surface that it was not designed to be on. I've done hundreds of burnouts (on racetracks) in cars that are faster than that Pro Mod, and things can and do go wrong on burnouts. Break an axle, tyre malfunction, pop the blower, throttle linkage, fuel s/o sticking, etc....... On top of that that car reacts entirely different on pavement than on a dragstrip. If you've ever walked out on a properly prepared track you know what I mean - its sticky. When he lifted it kept spinning the tyres, on a track it would have hooked up instantly. Not to mention that most roads have a crown on them. To even try this act was beyond irresponsible - it was a calculated risk.

The responisbility lies with many people, but first and foremost the car owner and driver. Having been a hired driver, getting a shot at doing what you've dreamed about all your life, its hard to say no when the owner says 'do it'. I was guilty of putting my own ass on the line because I didn't say no when I should have. It ultimately almost killed me. But even then had any of the owners I worked for ever asked me to do something like that Pro Mod deal I would have said no on the spot. I have been asked by my sponsor to do a similar stunt with my car - and I never considered it for one second. For displays I wouldn't even start my car on the jackstands without taking the driveshaft out. I have the right to be stupid with my own safety but not with others. And as for the police and promoter - although I think it was a real lack of judgement on thier parts I don't believe they knew enough about the car to be able to make a truly informed decision. It seems reasonable that they would rely on the expertise of the driver/owner/team. Only someone that races one of those things would know the problems and risks with putting one on a city street.

Unfortunately this act has been far too common for far too long. There have been similar off-track 'exhibitions' in recent years from late model Top Fuel cars on down. It's been a very bad idea each and every time. Some of the players are very experienced and smart racers that seem to have momentary lapses of judgement. And although we all hope this tradgedy will be the end of this stupid shit - it was mentioned earlier about a certian well known Funny Car racer that created similar tradgedy many years ago and fools still ignore the facts and do it anyway. I hope we learn this time.

Those kids were just kids, very very sad. This was a needless waste of life and the penalties should be severe.

 

Do some research into Chritchley's driving record, 7 on track accidents in 3 years. For those of you that don't know THATS A LOT, looks as if he's a bit reckless er reckfull on the track as well.

I'll say it one more time,, a mechanical failure is irrelevant, It should not have been doing this kind of stunt.

If the car was NOT on the street doing this high speed burn out, and the throttle DID hang wide open, 6 people would NOT have died. UNDERSTAND?????

As for all of this type of car doing burnouts in 3 gear only, that is NOT true. Most start in 2 gear, shift into 3 and then release the line loc. Some start in 1, and work their way up.

Many people caused this accident, only ONE could have stopped it!!

If this were a douche bag in a hopped up Nova with airshocks and 3 different size tires, no one would be defending him, BUT because this guy is a "Professional" some of you are willing to overlook the obvious problem and look to place the blame on mechanical failure. These cars crash just fine without any failures and given the driver's track record he knows that better than anyone.

I don't mean to offend any hopped up, airshocked, 3 different sized tired Nova owning persons, first thing that came to mind.

I'm off to bed now and hopefully tonight I don't have the dream about my daughter sitting at a table with her friends and ,, well you get the picture.

 

Amen Brother ,Should have never happened. I feel for everyone involved. There is a place for discharging firearms and a place for lightin up a Drag Car. And that street wasn`t the place...

 

OK, I have read this thread through a couple of times and most of what I am reading is redundant speculation on all of our parts BUT, I cannot help but say I am curious what will happen as far as the law is concerned (not what YOU think should happen) but what will happen next as far as the law is concerned.

Judging from what I have read and witnessed on video, it appears Troy really did not engage in anything criminally. By that, it appears he had governmental permission to "break the law" engaging in reckless driving and such doing the exhibition burn-out. One could make an easy and compelling argument that if this had happened on the track where innocent spectators were killed, --then criminal charges would not have been filed. It kinda appears since Troy has not already been charged, then this becomes a civil matter. Since Troy was under a major corporate sponsorship, very likely there was a liability policy in effect mandated by the sponsors to somewhat protect him & themselves from any exposure.

So now we look at the Promoter and his legal exposure. Did he do anything criminal in the eyes of the law? I feel certain he had some sort of liability insurance policy in effect too. Naturally that policy will likely fall way short financially but let's just say that it is a 5 million dollar policy. That means that policy underwriter would have 5 million reasons to have their best "Philadelphia-type lawyers" present to defend their client and their own bank account.

Now you have the legal exposure of the city of Selmer and their municipal workers (police, street crew, etc.) PLUS the T.H.P. if they were involved. Most municipalities are self-insured and underwritten by the State after a certain amount. I have no idea what those amounts are but I feel certain the State will have their best attorneys representing their taxpayer's interest.

So, ....what happens next? Naturally there will be a class-action suit brought against any and everyone that the local DA will allow to be indicted but where do you hold the trial to get a fair and impartial jury?

Since this appears to be a very confusing case, do the victims families have enough funds to see this tragic thing through to the bitter end? Them going up against all of these different entities (government, insurance, and private) who has it in their interest to prolong it will surely make it difficult.

Naturally I am not legal council for Troy but if their public statement has merit, I think I could argue a pretty good defense that he was invited to attend a charity that was supposedly under direct supervision of the Promoter and the Chief of Police who was deeming this a safe event. After all, this was their town and their event which they had years of prior experience with. I could also argue that Mr. Price was clearly seen in that amateur video overseeing the burnout and clearly made no hand gestures that Troy was doing something other than what he had been instructed to do so. I could argue that if Troy was making too long of a burnout or exhibiting too much speed, then the promotor would/should have been waving his arms to 'shut it down'.

I feel certain the defense team for Mr. Price will argue they had made what seemed to be adequate provisions for the safety of the spectators based upon their 18 years of experience AND the permission of the local authorities. The team for the municipality can easily argue that they had made numerous attempts to publicly and verbally warn the crowds of the possible dangers associated with watching this event.

So naturally this will be a very confusing case that unless gets settled early on will likely drag on for years BUT I guess the one thing that kinda sticks out in my mind is much akin to a saying that someone here has written in their signature. "If they call it Common Sense. ...then why is it so UNcommon?" and I think that sure applies to everyone here INCLUDING the spectators. At what point in life should we start accepting responsibility for own actions and stop placing blame on someone else? I would venture to guess that about 90% of the readers/posters on this thread would have been elbowing their way to the edge of the street to view Troy's burnout if they had been attending this event yet are now soapboxing what an idiot everyone was. So, I'll repeat, "At what point in life should we start accepting responsibility for own actions and stop placing blame on someone else?"

It will be hard for me to be convinced that even naive teenage girls --and parents with 5 year old kids do not have enough "Common Sense" to say to themselves 'You know, this looks like it could be dangerous enough that I really do not have any business standing here.' ...and then do something about it!! So back to my initial question, what will legally happen to the Driver, his Sponsors, the Promoter, the Police Chief, and the government Officials?

 

Brent, I think you're missing the point here. You raise some good points about the LEGAL ramifications of this matter and whether criminal actions occurred. More than likely not in the eyes of the law. You stated that out pretty well. However....

I take offense at your inference that the victims are somehow to blame for their deaths and injuries. The public trust was violated and you're saying the victims should have known that this could be dangerous? The government and the police are supposed to protect the public. In this case they didn't.

When attending an event in the public forum that has the cooperation of the local government and police institutions, the public has a reasonable expectation of safety. Meaning, that the responsibility for the safety of the public falls upon the shoulders of the event organizer, local government that allowed the event, and the law enforcement that is there to police the event. Thus, the public has the right to expect that their safety will be protected and assured by not allowing events to occur that could pose a hazard to their safety.

What this will all boil down to is that the event organizer, the police, and the local government failed to meet the reasonable expectation of safety and are at fault. They'll surely have to face this matter in a civil court and will more than likely be found negligent. How long resolution takes is moot; it won't bring back the dead, heal the wounds of the injured or allow the potential that all these folks were robbed of to come to fruition.

You're looking at this from a position of knowledge. As a car guy you know things can and do go wrong. Most folks are truly ignorant of what a Pro Mod car is capable of doing. All they know is that it's gonna be loud and cool and it must be safe if the cops are allowing it to happen. That's where the 'public trust' comes into play.

I hope you take a longer look at this tragedy from a different perspective. This whole thing was preventable and it wasn't up to the spectators to be the ones to prevent it.

 

Everything in life is preventable.....but at the rate we're going, "we the people" won't be able to anything.......risk takers are a dying breed.....

Alot of ya are saying burnouts are stupid? Really? Is this a HOTROD board for hoodlums????

The pussification of America continues.........

 

somebody please close this so we can get on with the cool stuff.

Rusty

 

i hope all the judges on here remember their attitudes on this thread when they make their next mistake. this is tragic for all invovled.

 

I don't think its "pussified" to think twice and not take unnecessary risks.

The scary thing for me is that if I had been there, I would have been standing right there in the crowd holding my 1 year old daughter. I would never expect the driver to do something like that.

I'll tell you what, if that asshat had ran over my kid, he'd be dead right now. Thats a fact.

Pussification indeed.

I am truely hoping that this thread will keep a bunch of HAMB members from ever making such a grave and disgusting mistake.

 

This is pretty wild as I was penning you a PM while you posted this with intentions of asking you some questions about uph. supplies. Guess I ruined my chances on that!

Listen, I apologize if I offended you, --and do understand that I am truly saddened by what has happened and feel pain for all who have been affected BUT I honestly do not view this situation in the same manner as you.

I honestly don't know squat about guns other than what I have read or watched on TV. I do have enough sense --or enough fear/respect to know that I do not want to be standing beside someone shooting one. Maybe nothing will happen but why chance it? Or stuff like driving down the highway directly beside a logging truck without knowing how well the load is tied down. My common sense tells me to either speed ahead or drop back to prevent the possibility of an injury. I could name instance after instance of possible scenarios of things that have the potential to cause me some sort of harm. I cannot rely on other people to make prudent decisions for me. I choose to act responsibly and err on the side of caution. I am no different than anyone else. Again, I realize what your are trying to say but I see it more that people need to stop and think about their surroundings and what they are doing. Just be responsible for their own actions & well-being. Folks, take some inititive. This "Blame Game" goes further than just here. It affects the ethic at our workplaces ...and has honestly made a mockery out of our legal system.

Preventable or not, nothing that will happen in the legal system proving negligence will change what has happened in Selmer or as you put it "bring back the dead, heal the wounds of the injured or allow the potential that all these folks were robbed of to come to fruition." All of the lessons learned from other "events gone bad" did nothing to change the course of this event --and so how does one expect the teachings of these circumstances to alter the mindset of people attending future events? It won't!

Matter of fact, to further my point, the majority of those people that were attending were there because they were "car people". This was a car event!! Plus, they would have known what could happen if they would have taken a moment to heed warnings from the Police officers and etc. Therefore I stand by my statement that these "innocent bystanders" DID have (or at least should have had) enough common sense to realize this has the potential to be extremely dangerous or lethal and should have taken appropriate action.

Still don't agree?? Then where does this imaginary line of "public trust" get drawn? For every instance of Government trying to warn of a potential harm you have Citizens crying fowl of too much intervention. Kinda seems a little a little hypocritical especially when two Police officers just moments before hand had made a public order to move back. Again, it appears that rebellion and lack of responsibility on the part of the spectators contributed to this tragedy. Were they totally to blame? Not in my view but I do think they were a contributing factor.

 

Never argue politics, relegion,"right to choose", and apparently now who should take blame at an exibition when something goes wrong.

When this thread was posted, it was news. Now it is just a pissing mach that serves no purpose and should be shut down.

 

Nevermind

 

All our prayers from North Carolina,
and God speed to all the Faimly's who lost loved ones...

 

First off very well written thoughts on your part but I do have a few comments.

I don't know why some are crying for the thread to be closed. Sure is more informative and thought provoking then the drama filled ones.

I'll give ya an example of folks learning from others stupidity. This was posted not too long ago, some "idiot" using tree logs as jack stands. If just ONE person on the HAMB learns that tree logs as jack stands aren't safe then that stupid post is worth the bandwidth.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=189965

A few years ago someone posted a photos of a guy using cement blocks as jacks stands. Everyone made comments on how stupid it was blah blah blah. I learned something with that post because I really had no idea until it was explained that cement blocks like that are weak. Just so happened neither did they guy whos car was in the photo.

I didn't know him at the time but since then we've met, hung out alot and I consider him one of my best pals. He's really a smart guy, just didn't know one little thing that could have ended up killing him.

My point is folks do need others around to help keep us out of harms way. No one can know it all.

Victims taking even a faction of the blame???.... no way in hell, I'm sorry.

 

Makes you wonder if the "pro driver" was just that. If he was, he new the danger of lighting that car up at full tilt on a crowded street. I don't think I saw a chute open so what's the deal. A pro driver would have hit the chute from pure instinct. Maybe it wouldn't have stopped but, sure would have helped. There are going to be a lot of lawyers getting in on this.

 

I didn't think this could get any worse, but..

The local (Utah) TV news at noon just reported that the driver has a history of DUIs and that authorities are awaiting toxicology reports before filing charges.

Tom

 

You're right!

I was at a Father's Day event at Charleton Park in Hastings, MI a few years ago and, upon leaving the show, entrants were encouraged to roll through some water and do a burnout. Police were present and the two-lane paved road was lined with eager spectators on both sides. As I approached, I thought this looks like an accident waiting to happen. I idled through the crowd and received more than a few boo's.

I'm curious if this is still allowed at the venue and if there are any other similar situations around the country.