Drag Racer Drives Into Crowd, Killing 2 Children

Two children were killed at a drag race on Saturday, October 23, when a driver lost control and plowed into the crowd. The event, “Airport Race Wars 2,” was held at the Kerrville-Kerr County Airport.

Eight people were injured and a six- and an eight-year-old boy were killed on October 23 when a drag racer “lost control” and drove off a runway and into the crowd, according to Kerrville authorities. The drag racing event, held roughly 60 miles northwest of San Antonio, saw more than 3,500 attendees. There were 150 vehicles competing for cash prizes.

According to local reporting, the Kerrville Convention and Visitors Bureau’s website initially promoted the event as an “action-packed, family-friendly day”
in which the “fastest drag cars compete for over $8,000 in total prizes.”

The page appears to no longer be functional.

The course was lined with water-filled plastic barriers, but that protection ended at the finish line. Many spectators brought their own lawn chairs to watch the event. The crowd was allowed access to within roughly 15 feet of the tack.

Saturday’s deadly collision reportedly occurred after the vehicle had nearly reached the end of the racing strip. Authorities have not reported any wrongdoing, as of reporting.

The eight victims included a 46-year-old woman and at least one other individual in critical condition. The 34-year-old driver was also among the injured. Two of the eight individuals involved were a four-year-old boy and a three-month-old girl who were both transported to a nearby hospital as a precaution. An additional two attendees were treated on the scene.

Drag racing organizations are required to qualify for a license to operate and are meant to serve as a legal alternative to street racing.

Ideally, these events are also much safer. Each organization gives drivers a list of rules and regulations that they need to follow in order to join in the races. What’s notable is the fact that there are usually no rules saying that drivers have to be experienced in drag racing in order to participate in events held by licensed organizations.

While that issue seems potentially dangerous, what rules are in place may not even extend to all organizations. The regulation of drag racing events was only adopted in some areas of Texas within the last six years, but many organizations have been in operation for decades. Because of this, accidents sometimes occur at facilities that may have never been approved to operate at all.

Still, deadly accidents at drag racing events are rare. Racing in a relatively controlled area without any interfering traffic is certainly an improvement over street racing, a major issue in Texas cities. This summer , Harris County authorities arrested dozens of street racers and impounded 86 vehicles in an effort to curb the dangerous activity.

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Source : YourBasin , CNN , KSAT

Drag Racer Drives Into Crowd, Killing 2 Children

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