Lawsuits Aplenty After Deadly California Off-Road Racing Accident Claims Eight Lives
Lawsuits Aplenty After Deadly California Off-Road Racing Accident Claims Eight Lives
Multiple personal injury lawsuits are pending as a result of the horrifying accident at the California 200, a popular off-road race in the Mojave Desert about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles. During the race in the summer of 2010, one driver's truck went off the track and flew into spectators, sending bodies flying on a section of track that had no guardrails or appropriate safety measures to protect the crowds.
Six people died almost immediately on or near the track and two others died after being taken to a hospital.
Numerous lawsuits have stemmed from the now infamous California 200 accident and some have now reached federal court. Among the litany of legal claims are wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits which allege that the federal government, the organizers and promoter of the race and the driver of the truck were all negligent in the deaths and the injuries. Lawyers have already filed several other lawsuits stemming from the California 200 accident. Those have been filed in California state courts, although lawyers believe that all pending cases could be consolidated into one federal case. At issue in the suits are to what extent the promoters, driver and the owners of the land, the federal government, are negligent and responsible for the accidents, fatalities and injuries.
The plaintiffs contend the agency negligently and recklessly managed and supervised the race. It is expected that the lawsuits will attempt to hold the parties responsible for the financial, medical, emotional and psychological pain inflicted on those that lost loved ones and for medical bills incurred by the injured.
Thousands of race fans were packed along the 50-mile track. The exact location of the crash, a streth of track called the “rockpile,” is a fan favorite due to the close proximity to the vehicles themselves. "You could touch it if you wanted to. It's part of the excitement," said 19-year-old Niky Carmikle, whose boyfriend, 24-year-old Zachary Freeman of Ventura, was killed in the crash. Due to the remote location of the race, it took rescue vehicles and helicopters nearly an hour to get medical assistance to the injured.
Emery Ledger is a Personal Injury Lawyer and a guest writer for EmpoweredNews.
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