2010 — Aug 14, Cal 200 Race crash into crowd, Soggy Dry Lake Bed, Mojave Desert, CA– 8
–8 Baum Hedlund & General. “Victims Sue Bureau of Land Management…” 9-14-2011.
—8 LA Times. “$5.8-million settlement reached in deadly 2010 off-road racing crash.” 12-18-2013.
–8 Mason. “Desert Race Accident Kills 8…” Thaindian.com., 8-17-2010.
–8 McCue, Dan. “Wrongful-Death Suit in Off-Road Race Crash.” Courthouse News, 9-19-2011
–8 Thaindian News. “Eight killed at US off-road race.” 8-15-2010.
–8 Times-News, Twin Falls, ID. “Federal officials…probe…Cal…race accident.” 8-17-2010, 6.
–8 Willon/Zahniser. “Driver, some victims identified in deadly California 200 crash;” 8-15-10
Narrative Information
Willon and Zahniser: “Reporting from Lucerne Valley, Calif. — Authorities said eight people were killed and 10 injured when a driver racing in the California 200 desert race in Lucerne Valley lost control of his off-roader, which went airborne and landed on top of spectators. The driver, who was uninjured, and seven of the eight people killed were identified Sunday by officials.
“The driver “got airborne and, when he landed, rolled over straight into the spectators,” said Officer Joaquin Zubieta of the California Highway Patrol, the agency investigating the deadly crash. “People didn’t have much of a chance … to get out of the way.”
“Six spectators died at the scene. Nine others were airlifted to local hospitals, two of whom died later in the evening, Zubieta said. Of those hurt, five sustained major injuries and five had minor injuries, officials said. Brett M. Sloppy, of San Marcos, was the driver of the truck, according to Zubieta.
“Sloppy, 28, lost control of his modified 2000 Ford Ranger while he was driving 45 to 50 miles per hour. He was not arrested, and alcohol was not a factor in the crash, officials said.
“The San Bernardino County coroner’s office identified seven of the dead: Brian Wolfin, 27, of Escondido; Anthony Sanchez, 23, of Escondido; Aaron Farkas, 25, of Escondido; Andrew Therrin, 22, of Riverside; Zachary Freeman, 24, of Fillmore; Dustin C. Malson, 24, of Ventura; and Danica Frantzich, 20, of Las Vegas.
“Witnesses to the crash described a chaotic scene where the victims had no time to flee as the out-of-control vehicle plowed into fans. Jeff Musgrave, an off-roader from Orange County who was watching the race, called it gruesome but defended the driver. “All I saw was the dust, and then I saw about 30 people on the ground. It was just brutal,” Musgrave, 43, told The Times. “The problem is the crowd was just too close. I don’t think the [racer] did anything stupid. He just hit it way too hard.”
“Sloppy had to be escorted away from the area after the crowd “started to get rowdy,” Zubieta said. “People were upset.”
“The 200-mile race, held on desolate Soggy Dry Lake on federal desert land just east of the San Bernardino Mountains, was sanctioned by Mojave Desert Racing and was part of a seven-race circuit. Off-roaders race around the 50-mile-long loop four times, reaching speeds upward of 60 mph….
“In the early-morning hours Sunday, the white Ford Ranger had remained at the scene, upside down, as CHP investigators crawled over the vehicle to search for any mechanical defects and to try to re-create the collision. Sponsorship decals plastered the sides of the truck. The area had been cordoned off with crime-scene tape through the night, and officers brought banks of lights to provide illumination as investigators combed the patch of desert. Officers continued to interview witnesses, competitors and race officials well into the early morning.
“The spot where the racer lost control was called the “rock pile.” The track snakes between giant boulders and up a small hill -– sending many of the off-roaders airborne.
“On Saturday, hundreds of spectators had been crowded around the site where the vehicle landed, some just a few feet from the main dirt track. Empty beer bottles and water bottles littered the area where the deadly collision occurred.” (Willon, Phil, and David Zahniser. “Driver, some victims identified in deadly California 200 crash…” 8-15-2010.)
Thaindian News: “Washington, Aug 15 (IANS) Eight people were killed and 12 injured after a vehicle rammed into a crowd of spectators during an off-road race in California. One of the cars in the California 200 race ploughed into the crowd at high speed after careering over a jump just half-an-hour after the start Saturday night, the Daily Mail reported…. The race was being held in Soggy Dry Lake Bed near the city of Lucerne Valley, 160 km northeast of Los Angeles…. Seven ambulances were sent to the scene, a fire official said.
“Tens of thousands go to watch the California 200, where dune buggy-style cars leap jumps and other obstacles around and off-road course. There is little or no barrier between the spectators and the cars as they career around the course. Off-road racing is a format of racing where various classes of specially modified vehicles (including cars, motorcycles and buggies) compete in races through off-road environments.” (Thaindian News. “Eight killed at US off-road race.” 8-15-2010.)
Mason: “Aug 17 (THAINDIAN NEWS) There were hundreds of racing fans present at the California 200, a race which took place on Saturday night in the Mojave Desert, watching in horror as a driver lost control of his truck after taking a jump, and rolled his truck sideways into the crowd, killing eight people and injuring twelve.
“The horrific crash came soon after the beginning of the race, according to the San Bernardino County sheriff’s office spokeswoman Cindy Bachman. Rescue vehicles and helicopters took over thirty minutes to reach the remote accident scene, while spectators and off-duty fire fighters helped those who were injured. Six people were dead at the scene and two more died at the hospital. Twelve others were airlifted to the Loma Linda University Medical Center or St. Mary’s Medical Center.
“David Conklin, a photographer who was covering the race gave his account, “There was dust everywhere, people screaming, people running. When I got up to the vehicle I could tell that several people were trapped. There were just bodies everywhere,” he said. “One woman with a major head wound (was) lying in a pool of blood. Someone else was crushed beneath the car.”
“The truck landed upside down, where members of the crowd rushed to flip it over, and help anyone pinned beneath it. The driver was unharmed but reportedly had to flee the scene to escape from angry spectators.
“In a report from ‘The Associated Press’, the California Highway Patrol named the driver in that accident as 28 year old Brett M Sloppy of San Marcos. Alcohol was not said to be involved in the crash, and no charges will be filed since the race was a sanctioned event. The California Highway Patrol estimated Sloppy’s speed at 45 to 50 miles per hour at the time of the crash. Sloppy will not be arrested, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Joaquin Zubieta….” (Mason, Angela Kaye. “Desert Race Accident Kills 8, Worst Seen Since Darren J Bullock.” Thaindian.com. 8-17-2010.)
Zahniser and Willon: “Lucerne Valley, Calif. – Federal authorities announced Monday [Aug 16] that they were launching a review of the accident that killed eight people at the California 200 off-road race. The Bureau of Land Management has jurisdiction over the land where the race occurred and issued a permit to the organizer of the California 200….
“The probe comes amid new questions about safety at the California 200. The company that sponsored the event told the federal government that it had two men responsible for coordinating
a response to a medical emergency. When contacted by the Los Angeles Times, one of those two men said he was not assigned to any emergency or medical tasks at Saturday’s race, during which a truck plowed into a crowd assembled alongside the course.
“Permit documents for the event, which were released by the BLM, identified Arcadia, Calif., resident Dave Hatcher, a self-described volunteer for MDR Productions, as one of two contacts in case of a medical emergency at the race. Hatcher said he has filled such a role at previous events but was responsible on Saturday for managing a 30-mile race checkpoint. “I didn’t remember that I was listed on there,” said Hatcher, when asked about the permit.
“MDR Productions paid the BLM a $95 fee to stage the race on federal land, plus $5 for each participating competitor.
“The other person named on the permit as a contact for emergency response was Jim Williams of MDR Productions, which stands for Mojave Desert Racing.” (Zahniser, David and Phil Willon (Los Angeles Times). “Federal officials launch probe of fatal California off-road race accident.” Times-News, Twin Falls, ID. 8-17-2010, 6.)
Baum Hedlund & General: “San Diego, California, September 14, 2011 — Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman filed personal injury lawsuits for four people injured due to the August 14, 2010 California 200 off-road race and a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of a man killed in the disaster.
“The lawsuits allege that the United States government, along with the race organizer, the race promoter, and the driver of the truck, were negligent in directly causing the catastrophic incident.
“Eight people were killed and dozens were injured on August 14, 2010, when a modified 2000 Ford Ranger lost control and came barreling into the spectators gathered around The California 200 track in the Johnson Valley, California desert. That area is owned, supervised, and maintained by the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management.
“Baum Hedlund filed the lawsuits on behalf of Alan Freeman, whose son Zachary Freeman, 24, was killed in the crash, as well as Travis Bonnar and Jennifer Bonnar (for her emotional injuries due to the injuries to her family), their son Jakob Bonnar and their daughter Heather Haverkamp, who were all seriously injured.
“The complaints, filed on September 14, 2011 in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, assert that the race was negligently and recklessly managed, supervised, and operated by the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), as well as race organizers and promoters Mojave Desert Racing, Inc. (MDR), and Mojave Desert Racing Productions, Inc. (MDR Productions). Also listed as a defendant, is Brett M. Sloppy, who owned, modified, and drove the Ford Ranger truck into the spectators on that fateful night.
“According to the lawsuits, defendants were negligent in their conduct leading up to, and, during the off-road race that led to the serious injury and deaths of spectators, a fact that has been admitted by the United States Government in a report made public on November 10, 2010. It seems as if this race was doomed to turn tragic from the very first steps of organization during the Special Recreational Permit process, when the BLM failed to follow standard procedures and failed in its mandatory duty to ensure spectator safety.
“The large group of spectators that gathered near the track to watch the race should never have been allowed so close, according to the suit. The lawsuits also state that the BLM failed in its mandatory duty to insist that the race promoter comply with permitting requirements. Further, BLM failed to intervene and insist, per its policies that spectator areas be clearly marked with temporary fencing to keep crowds at a safe distance from the off-road racing vehicles. The BLM also failed to adequately staff the event, the lawsuits said, adding that there was only one law enforcement ranger near the course and there was no emergency medical service available near the site. Because of this grossly negligent oversight, the suit says, it took over 30 minutes for emergency crews to arrive at the scene.
“According to the complaints, if the permit process would have been properly followed, together with all stipulations required by the permit process, the permit would have been denied and the race would simply never have occurred.
“The lawsuits claim that all defendants failed to follow mandatory procedures and failed to ensure the safety of the people present before and during the race. The complaint states that defendants MDR and MDR Productions were negligent and reckless in their planning, management and monitoring of the event, and thus exposed the spectators to the risk of injury and death.
“These are believed to be the first lawsuits filed from this tragedy against the Bureau of Land Management (since the government claims filed by the victims were only recently deemed denied). Baum Hedlund, a Los Angeles-based mass disaster law firm, filed a previous lawsuit in December 2010 on behalf of the mother of Andrew Therrien, 22, who was one of eight spectators killed during The California 200 tragedy. That lawsuit, however, did not, nor could it, name the BLM as a defendant.” (Baum Hedlund & General. “Victims Sue Bureau of Land Management, Among Others, Claiming Gross Negligence Caused the California 200 Off-Road Race Disaster.” (Press Release). 9-14-2011.)
McCue: “San Diego (CN) – Four families blame gross negligence from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, auto race promoters and a driver in the California 200 for the deaths of eight spectators and injuries to dozens of others. Brett Sloppy lost control of his truck and rolled it into a crowd during the California 200 road race in the Mojave Desert on Aug. 14, 2010.
“Sloppy’s mother sued the promoters and the BLM 3 weeks ago for the anguish she suffered “when she witnessed her son, Brett M. Sloppy’s, truck veer off the racetrack at The California 200, flip over, and kill eight people and injure dozens who were permitted to stand on or near the racetrack.”
“The injuries and deaths came when Brett Sloppy, 28, lost control of a modified Ford Ranger pick-up and rolled into a crowd of people lining the off-road track on the 50-mile loop course on the Southern California desert. At the time of the crash, which is immortalized on YouTube, Sloppy was heading over the “rock pile” section of the course, which involved a jump. His truck plowed into a crowd that had no guard railed to protect it. Brett Sloppy apologized on his Facebook page the next night, describing himself as “incredibly lost and devastated,” CNN reported at the time.
“Among those killed was Michael Dickenson, whose wife Janet filed a wrongful death suit on behalf of herself and her children….
“They say the BLM “failed in its mandatory duty to ensure spectator safety at the California 200,” because under BLM policy, “spectator areas must be marked out by the permittee on the ground using temporary fencing during all events.” They add: “Spectator rules, code of conduct, and risk information must be posted on large signs at access roads during an event weekend. Spectators are not allowed in the pits.” But “none of this was done,” the plaintiffs say. “Had BLM done so, it would have withdrawn the permit and/or canceled the event due to its inadequacies as set forth in the cause of action.”
“Also absent were “specific requirements for spectator setbacks from the areas race vehicles would be traversing, signs advising of safe spectator viewing areas and safe spectator viewing distances away from areas race vehicles would be traversing, and crowd control and crowd management activities at known spectator viewing areas such as the area where the subject incident occurred,” according to the complaints.
“The plaintiffs seek general, special and personal property damages, pre- and post-judgment interest and court costs on claims of wrongful death, personal injury, negligence and strict liability.
“Dickenson is represented by Paul P. Kiesel with Kiesel, Boucher, Larson of Beverly Hills.
Freeman, Haverkamp and the Bonnars are represented by Ronald Goldman with Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, of Los Angeles.” (McCue, Dan. “Wrongful-Death Suit in Off-Road Race Crash.” Courthouse News, 9-19-2011.)
Sources
Baum Hedlund & General. “Victims Sue Bureau of Land Management, Among Others, Claiming Gross Negligence Caused the California 200 Off-Road Race Disaster.” 9-14-2011. At: http://www.baumhedlundlaw.com/baum-hedlund-press-releases/california-200-off-road-race-crash.php
Los Angeles Times (Rick Rojas). “$5.8-million settlement reached in deadly 2010 off-road racing crash.” 12-18-2013. Accessed 6-19-2015: http://articles.latimes.com/2013/dec/18/local/la-me-off-road-settlement-20131219
Mason, Angela Kaye. “Desert Race Accident Kills 8, Worst Seen Since Darren J Bullock.” Thaindian.com. 8-17-2010. Accessed 3-20-2012 at: http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world/desert-race-accident-kills-8-worst-seen-since-darren-j-bullock_100413803.html
McCue, Dan. “Wrongful-Death Suit in Off-Road Race Crash.” Courthouse News, 9-19-2011. Accessed 3-20-2012 at: http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/09/19/39865.htm
Thaindian News. “Eight killed at US off-road race.” 8-15-2010. Accessed 3-20-2012 at: http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/eight-killed-at-us-off-road-race_100412697.html
Willon, Phil, and David Zahniser. “Driver, some victims identified in deadly California 200 crash…” 8-15-2010. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/15/local/la-me-0816-offroad-crash-20100816
Zahniser, David and Phil Willon (Los Angeles Times). “Federal officials launch probe of fatal California off-road race accident.” Times-News, Twin Falls, ID. 8-17-2010, 6.