Pro Mod from Texas careens into crowd, kills 6 during car show

[TonyL]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3286918

Oh god how sad. You just know kids were involved. I've never condoned shows that do this type of "exhibition" in the street with this type of car. When will people learn?

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

damn thats messed up..

[bigvegan]

I swear to god, just because it's a charity event doesn't mean the laws of physics don't apply. Either have all the spectators line up behind the starting line or find a dragstrip with actual guardrails.

Dragstrips with no guardrails between the cars are bad enough, but lettng people drag on surface streets lined with spectators is idiotic.

When will people learn not to stand on the side of a roadway with nothing between them and the race cars except lucK?

Maybe it's for the best that rally racing hasn't caught on in the U.S. yet as a spectator sport.

[GBodyGMachine]

I agree, not the best idea. I bet they will never do it again.

[ProVette]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/17/carshow.deaths.ap/

http://www.troycritchley.com/troy.html

????????????????????????????????????????

[CraigMorrison]

http://www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=6668755

Raw video of the burnout on the side links. My heart goes out to the families and the driver.

[BonzoHansen]

http://www.wkrn.com/node/102057#top

[BonzoHansen]

http://www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=6668755

Raw video of the burnout on the side links. My heart goes out to the families and the driver.


This link now reports 7 fatalities. Awful.

[dropit69]

wow ..cant believe they would do that on an open style highway like that..just a sad story..

[Boyd]

What makes me really angry about this is....didn't something very similar to this happen a just a few days ago?!!? I think I remember someone posting a thread about a guy in a Camaro doing an "exhibition burnout" at a town parade losing control and going in to the crowd. JUST A FEW DAYS AGO! How many times does this have to happen before people realize it is dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb to have any sort of exhibition where a race car is running under it's own power in a non-race environment?

[ProdigyCustoms]

I read it and tought it was over due to happen. Here in Orlando, the night before the World Street nationals, there is a cruise in / parade where they block the streets, spectators line up on either side of the road and the race cars cruise down the street. Evey year there is always a few that get froggy and the cops half heartedly try to keep it calm. Last year the cops were stopping us and telling us to do a burnout, just a little one, don't get to carried away, well..................

I pass on the burnout because I do not like the idea of doing burnouts down 10' wide paths with walls made out of spectators. I hate the idea of hurting someone for both the obvious reason and liability. I would only guess, but it would seem the event promotor, car owner, driver and anyone else involved are in deep doo doo.

We grieve for the families. It is ashame.

[TPI Monte SS]

Man, just a short hop to make a little smoke is dangerous enough; what the HELL was that driver thinking???? He wasn't sitting at the tree waiting for the lights to come down!!!!

Damn that gets me so angry. That footage captured pure idiocy on film.

[rocketman]

Why would you have a pro mod running in a parade,I have run pro mod's and to burns out like that I know look cool,but can get out hand in hurry as we see here,sad,sad deal.......

[trapin]

It's one thing to do a burnout in a mild street car like a 70 chevelle with a 396, but a Pro Mod is an entirely different story. They're just simply too violent. What a horrible tragedy.

[vanzuuk1]

This is a strange coincidence, my buddy had a block party in the city last night and wanted me to do a burnout as part of the festivities.

I said no dice,too many kids and too many people. Normally I am a bit of a hooligan but it was just too sketchy.


Then I read this, wow. It sucks for everyone,the victims,the people who witnessed it,even the guy driving the car is forever altered by what happened.

[CRCRFT78]

What could possibly have been going through the drivers mind to even THINK something like this was ok. Obviously a lack of better judgement on his part will now haunt/hurt him forever.

[got_hp?]

What could possibly have been going through the drivers mind to even THINK something like this was ok. Obviously a lack of better judgement on his part will now haunt/hurt him forever.



man, that situation is caused by idiocy on three levels

promoter = dumb idea
driver = irresponsible, he should have refused and known better
crowd = obvious incredible danger, retards for being anywhere near that


sounds like there wasnt a drop of common sense in the whole crowd.

might sound harsh, but looks like natural selection to me, if youre that dumb, can you really complain about the consequences?

[StRacerDuke]

Crap, did anyone watch the video yet? They aussy guy was doing a John Force style burnout and was probably 2/3 the way down the 1/4 mile at near 100mph when he lost control. What an idiot. There's no reason to do that long of a burnout at the track so why do it on the street with hundreds of people next to the street?

Can you say wreckless endangerment and Civil Suit?

[barraza]

Sad story.

I am amazed it doesnt happen more often. I have seen cars nearly out of control at way too many non-racing events. My guess is that the driver had never tried a burnout with that car on a real street that is crowned, not flat like a dragstrip. Fatal mistake.

[barraza]

man, that situation is caused by idiocy on three levels

promoter = dumb idea
driver = irresponsible, he should have refused and known better
crowd = obvious incredible danger, retards for being anywhere near that


sounds like there wasnt a drop of common sense in the whole crowd.

might sound harsh, but looks like natural selection to me, if youre that dumb, can you really complain about the consequences?

Yes, that is pretty harsh considering the crowd may not have had any idea what he was going to do. We've all made some not so smart decisions in life, doesn't mean we should be dead.

[harshman]

i'd say that the driver and promoter should be jailed. blatent stupidity. little kids standing next to this is wrong - their parents should know better.

[LowBuckX]

That pi$$3s me off bad. We just had that camaro take out some people ere in Ohio. Now this. This crap makes us and this hobby look irresponcible and stupid.

[Bill Howell]

http://www.breitbart.tv/html/1794.html

http://www.beta.cnn.com/2007/US/06/17/car.show.deaths.ap/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

Critchley was driving the car. Seems he has turned off his website for now.

What a bunch of idiots, I cannot believe the city allowed this to happen on public roads.

[MarkM66]

i'd say that the driver and promoter should be jailed. blatent stupidity. little kids standing next to this is wrong - their parents should know better.

I agree.

[yellowrallys]

I guess thats why a lot of cops don't look forward to the big shows coming to their towns with a lot of street cruising involved. Horsepower and ego can be a dangerous combo.

[Howard Tx]

I agree.

In agreement also.

Involuntary Manslaughter and Lawsuits...

I cant bring myself to watch the footage

Who would think this guy is going to stomp on a Pro Mod in that type of enviornment

I doubt the kids knew what was coming or even knowlege of what could happen unless they have been to drag racing events

And on the rally issue its known throughout Europe as the World Most Dangerous Spectator Sport. Again most would be clueless here in America unless they have seen what could happen

[SPECWARSQUID]

It happens all the time.......

Woodward Dreamcruise is 16 miles of hundreds of burnouts with people only a few feet away, all day long

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0j9aOsto2A


....it was bound to happen


Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

[jasonsnova]

now ive done my fair share of burnouts,......and i just watched that footage........those people are f@#kin idiots! as stated above a promod car is way too unpredictable for that ..... some people have no brains

[6'9"Witha69]

I can't believe that anyone would do that long a burnout at that speed in those circumstances. Complete lunacy. The only semi-excusable reason would be a hung throttle, but even then, should it have been WOT in the first place? Not on the street.

[Damn True]

When I was in the 6th grade a Top-Fuel funny car team visited our school. I don't recall who it was. They lit the thing off and the guy did a small burnout in the playground. At the time (1980 or so) it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. I realize now how horrifically bad it could have gone.

A little archive action grants us access to this oxygen theifs website:

http://web.archive.org/web/20060209233053/http://www.troycritchley.com/

[got_hp?]

Yes, that is pretty harsh considering the crowd may not have had any idea what he was going to do. We've all made some not so smart decisions in life, doesn't mean we should be dead.


uhhh........it was advertised and promoted for exactly what it was.....did you look at the video and pictures? maybe some of those people arent so sharp, but it should have been pretty obvious they were in danger where they were standing (pretty much everyone was IMO except people behind the starting line)

im not saying they deserved it, but bad decisions come with consequences, and sometimes they are alot worse than you would like.

[wick]

I'll bet many of the parents and kids didn't know exactly how powerful and dangerous the situation was. Many people have know idea how dangerous some sports are. Sad day indeed.

[Ralph LoGrasso]

This was on CNN last night; they kept replaying the video. 6 people killed. What a shame.

[dcozzi]

People standing real close to highway, no guardrail, doing a burnout there in a pro-mod, promoter organizing this, city letting it happen. Not a lick of common sense shown by anyone there. A senseless tragedy that just hurts our hobby. The whole thing stinks and could have been prevented. Makes me sad for the victims and their families.

[shmoov69]

I just can't agree. Yes it was a "car show and parade" for charity. We have all went to things like that, and we know better than watch, but guess what? We still do! I am sure that most of the people that were there had no idea what a "Pro Mod" was much less what it is capable of when out of controll.
We all have done extremely stupid things and have been extremely lucky for not having been hurt or hurting other people. Maybe you have never done anything extremely stupid and have always used your head, but I doubt it!
Imagine the message on your phone: "yeah dad, I am going to the parade/car show with a couple buddies and will be back later"............... And never hear from your kid again.
It is truly a bad deal in all circumstances. Bad for the town, bad for the families involved, bad for the families not directly involved, bad for the show, bad for the promoter, bad for the driver and bad for the industry/hobby. And on a side note, I do feel bad for the driver because of the personal/mental Hell he will have to endure for the rest of his life knowing that he caused that out of complete stupidity. And that is if he doesn't end up commiting suicide.
Bad deal.


uhhh........it was advertised and promoted for exactly what it was.....did you look at the video and pictures? maybe some of those people arent so sharp, but it should have been pretty obvious they were in danger where they were standing (pretty much everyone was IMO except people behind the starting line)

im not saying they deserved it, but bad decisions come with consequences, and sometimes they are alot worse than you would like.

[RatMalibu]

I'm gonna agree with Jimmy......I'm a car guy, neither of my kids could even tell you what a Pro-Mod car is...they for sure wouldn't know what to expect from one...I'm positive the same applies for the vast majority of adults out there

[harshman]

Let's see...
loud, big tires, race car looking, massive shiny motor thingy sticking out of the hood. Judging by the size at least 2,000 lbs and able to go very fast...the announcer tells everyone that there will be an exhibition on this street at this time. Parents approach and look at the situation and see that there are no racing style barriers around. You be the judge. Common sense would tell you to get the hell out.

We are all car guys, yet I as a protective dad would assess the situation and see that this was an act of physics – not exactly rocket science to figure that one out (pun I know). I would simply get me and my kids away from there. I did stupid things also but it was around midnight on an empty road and my continence knew better. This was organized and the DRIVER knew better.

[TonyL]

Im betting people heard "Burnout" and thought "powerbrake" and so, assumed it was safer than it actually was. I've been to the same thing exactly. and our top alcohol car girl just smokes the hides enough to let people see how loud the car is. but never builds any actual speed up. She (the driver) usually does lots of small burnouts the length of the street (lined with show cars on either side) But Always slows down and stops between each burnout. You know, to give people a chance to see hear and move out of the way.

what this guy did is flat out stupid. He KNEW how his car would behave heating the tires like at the track.

[vanzuuk1]

Most people have a herd mentality,"every one else is doing it so it must be safe..."

I still feel bad for the driver,he thought he was going to give everyone a show and the whole thing went bad.He might have even been more nervous than a regular event, stayed on it too long. Maybe even a stuck throttle.

Not excusing the whole thing, just trying to see both sides. We have likley all done a burnout in a street car, and I have seen those end bad.I saw a guy swap ends and mow down a row of bikes belonging to an outlaw bike gang at a party..what happened next was not pretty.

If we had seen a video of the burnout with no accident would we have reacted the same?

I will probably get piled on for this..

[TonyL]

you wont get piled on. But, here, I personally would have frowned on the video had the accident not happend also. It'd would have still fallen into the "street racing/reckless driving" rule we have here.

[LowBuckX]

Come on guys. Ive been talking to a few people that race with this man and everyone has been saying what a real nice guy he is and how good of a person he is. This shouldnt be the only thing he is judged on. His sponcer pushed him into this.

Im still mad it happened but we all know it didnt happen on purpose and hind sight is 20/20 judge the act not the man.

[MrQuick]

I agree, this happens all the time. Them hot slicks on pavment are going to be unpredictable.

Also there was a guard rail where he started but maybe he had line lock or butterfly issues??? They started out being safe...I think security should have kept the run off clear.

[rocketman]

I was told the police dept knew they were going to a burn out and cleared the street giving room to do it,while it was abit wild burnout,if you listen he nailed then lifted out the car was idling when a road imperfection sent the car out of control,i'm saying this was right,but thre police dept knew so you cant lay complete blame on the driver.

its a very sad freak accident,that sue happy people and greedy lawyers will milk for all the cash they can.

Now how many of us have been at a car show cruising the cruise route and stopped and done burnouts??????????????? same thing could happen.

[vanzuuk1]

Thanks for not jumping on me, I did think I was going to get shredded but I did not want to see the guy crucified. We all know now what a bad idea the whole thing was. Who am I to judge, especially since I am on youtube doing donuts .

Even when I was young and dumb enough to be at "late night unofficial motorsports gatherings" I never stood past the front wheel of any vehicle that was about to dump the throttle.

[Boyd]

On Critchley's (the driver) website it lists 6 companies that his race team is "affiliated" with. And 4 of those 6 are insurance companies. How appropriate.

[6'9"Witha69]

Now how many of us have been at a car show cruising the cruise route and stopped and done burnouts??????????????? same thing could happen.There was a group of us who always met at the Fuddruckers (when it was here) and in the evening we cruised through Old Town Pasadena. On the way back we would be two wide on the street. 2 cars would take off from a light, the next 2 would stage and wait a little then go. This went on until we all went (sometimes there were 20+ cars doing this). Yes, we have all done stupid things.


Thanks for not jumping on me, I did think I was going to get shredded but I did not want to see the guy crucified. We all know now what a bad idea the whole thing was. Who am I to judge, especially since I am on youtube doing donuts .No piling here. This is a sad thing to have occurred. But no 1 person is to blame.

[paul67]

Thats just sent the sport back 20yrs. Idiot should loose his license.

[rocketman]

The thing that's pissin me off is the media "blaming" drag racing,it could have been a cup car,a local dirt late model,hell a guy with a bad ass street car.

[JEFFTATE]

He was NOT trying to do a 1/4 mile "John Force " burnout.
Looks to me like his throttle hung.
I've drag raced with a Pro-mod team at some little outlaw dragstrips with bad surfaces and that never caused the car to do that .

HIS THROTTLE HUNG !
IT WAS AN ACCIDENT !

Maybe he shouldn't have tried a burnout on the street.
Maybe the crowd shouldn't have been there.

It was an accident.
It was everbodies fault that was present at the event !

[paul67]

In this day and age he the driver should have know better and said no .

[Damn True]

You have two pedals right? One makes the car go fast. The other makes the car slow down. Only one person decides which one to mash on.

[hotrdblder]

pretty funny how none of us was at the event, but a bunch seem to know it was the drivers fault and he is an idiot, i guess we just have to know what an opinion is, just like a a-hole we all got one.
it was an accident.. period, that guy had no intention of putting anyones life in danger

[Damn True]

His intention is not germaine. I'm pretty sure the guy that ran into the back of "Bad Penny" did not intend to do so. But he did, and he is sure as hell liable for the outcome.

[hotrdblder]

why was he at this event again??
oh ya to raise money, he is liable, but whos liable if the throttle stuck? his brakes would not have done anything, so go after his crew chief? his sponsors? its a huge learning lesson and i am sure the familys will get compensation, although that does not bring them back, i am sure he is beating himself up enough over it. let the investigation figure it out, then form an opinion

[harshman]

pretty funny how none of us was at the event, but a bunch seem to know it was the drivers fault and he is an idiot, i guess we just have to know what an opinion is, just like a a-hole we all got one.
it was an accident.. period, that guy had no intention of putting anyones life in danger
You are right. We weren't at the event. However, we also know that this isn't the first time the driver ever stepped foot in that car. The driver gets paid to know how to handle this particular car. He would know very well what it can and can't do. It was on his judgment to show off the car – his alone. I have been very close to cars of this magnitude and I have always been behind the car because I respect its power and ability to be somewhat uncontrollable. The NHRA knows very well what can happen with these toys and they make it very difficult to drive down one of their controlled and protected tracks for this reason. An accident and piss poor judgment are two very different things.

[Bow Tie 67]

What the hell was he thinking, as a 20 veteran he knows how unpredictable those cars can be, and how the hell was he expecting to stop? The least punishment should be no racing the rest of his life!!

[hotrdblder]

whatever, hopefully none of you are in an accident that results in a fatality, god knows it won't be your fault. goodluck

[the camtender]

Let this be a wake up call !! I have seen members (some professionals) post their high (very high) horse power cars doing insane 2nd,3rd & 4th gear burn outs on busy public streets.Hear talk of guys thinking 200 mph street cars is a cool goal.

I'll say it again.Let this be a wake up call for us all.

[4MuscleMachines]

It is more than just an accident, it was plain carelessness. IMO, carelessness does not equal an accident.

[68Formula]

If the throttle hung-up, isn't there a switch required on those cars to shutoff the fuel pump?

[Damn True]

If the throttle hung-up, isn't there a switch required on those cars to shutoff the fuel pump?

Or a clutch, brake and kill switch?

[LowBuckX]

Or a clutch, brake and kill switch?


The engine would over power the brakes no if and or but about it. Kill switch or clutch still takes time to slow down. .. From the time it got out of shape till he hit the pole there wasnt enough time to react to do either.

[Damn True]

The engine would over power the brakes no if and or but about it. Kill switch or clutch still takes time to slow down. .. From the time it got out of shape till he hit the pole there wasnt enough time to react to do either.

Which is why that kind of jacka$$ behavior belongs between a pair of guardrails and not on Main St.

[hotrdblder]

Let this be a wake up call !! I have seen members (some professionals) post their high (very high) horse power cars doing insane 2nd,3rd & 4th gear burn outs on busy public streets.Hear talk of guys thinking 200 mph street cars is a cool goal.

I'll say it again.Let this be a wake up call for us all.
exactely, thanks

[Benoit23]

Come on guys. Ive been talking to a few people that race with this man and everyone has been saying what a real nice guy he is and how good of a person he is. This shouldnt be the only thing he is judged on. His sponcer pushed him into this.

Im still mad it happened but we all know it didnt happen on purpose and hind sight is 20/20 judge the act not the man.


This is an unfortunate tragedy that happened at a fundraiser event (Cars for Kids) that benefits kids with disabilities. Say a prayer for all who were affected by this tragedy including the driver.

[Damn True]

Another moron:


DEKALB, Ill. — A monster truck performing stunts in front of an auto parts store veered into a crowd of about 100 spectators Thursday, injuring at least nine people before breaking through a wooden fence and stopping on nearby railroad tracks, officials said.

Three adults and six children were taken to Kishwaukee Community Hospital in DeKalb, officials said.

Two of them, a mother and her 4-year-old daughter, were in serious condition and were transported to trauma hospitals in Rockford, said Kishwaukee hospital spokeswoman Sharon Emanuelson. Six others were treated and released and the remaining patient was in good condition Thursday evening, she said.

The demonstration, part of a monster truck tour sponsored by NAPA Auto Parts, featured the truck driving over four cars, crushing them.

"After its third or fourth attempt of rolling over the cars, and getting back down to the street, it appeared to have lost control and at that point careened off to the left into part of the crowd that was watching the event," said City Manager Mark Biernacki.

Witness Patrick Sheridan, 16, said the driver and staff from NAPA had asked observers to stand back from the road after the truck's first few passes.

"I watched the guy go over two or three times getting some air and one time he went up and he came really close to hitting people," Sheridan said, adding that the truck appeared to come within just three feet of bystanders.

The teen said the final pass "was like a full-out jump because he, like, floored it and it just went up and landed on the back tires and kept going."

"It sounded like he couldn't get the gas off and like it kept going and going and going," he said.

Biernacki said the 44-year-old truck driver did not appear to be injured in the accident that happened about 2 p.m.

One of the two seriously injured spectators was at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center's trauma center Thursday evening, spokeswoman Therese Michels said. She did not know where the second patient was taken.

At least one person refused medical treatment at the scene, DeKalb Fire Chief Lanny Russell said.

"There was just this sound of steel crunching," DeKalb resident James Vesely told The Daily Chronicle of DeKalb. "I ran over to see if it hit anybody's car, and I saw a woman and a little girl around 3 years old lying on the ground with dirt on them."

NAPA officials on the scene declined to comment, the newspaper reported.

Jerry Nix, a spokesman for NAPA's parent company, Genuine Parts Co., said he could not comment on the incident. A message left at the auto parts store near the accident site after business hours Thursday was not immediately returned.

The city of DeKalb gave the store permission to close the street for the demonstration, Russell said. DeKalb police had no further details Thursday.

The manager of a bicycle shop on the block where the accident happened said he didn't see the incident but saw the truck performing stunts beforehand.

"It looked very precarious," said Tobie DePauw, manager of North Central Cyclery.


Looks safe to me

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif


Don't move that thing off the RR tracks or anything!
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

[Damn True]

...and the video

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3466268

[ronin8451]

Why did they not have someone manning the remote kill for the truck ???These things are required to have a remote RF-linked kill switch in case of a runaway just for this reason so the officials at an event can kill the truck .:banghead:

Rick