http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/16/califo ... google_cnn
"It's possible some people were standing too close..."
No fucking shit.
By the CNN Wire Staff
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: The driver says he is devastated by the crash
A truck crash at an off-road desert race in Southern California leaves eight dead
Spectator who filmed the crash says, "It's forever going to be in my head"
Crowd at these events can be hard to control, some say
(CNN) -- The driver of a truck that crashed into a crowd of spectators, killing eight, said in a Facebook message that he was devastated by the incident.
The California Highway Patrol identified the driver as Brett Sloppy. Authorities said Sloppy is not facing any charges in the crash that took place Saturday at an off-road race in Southern California's Mojave Desert.
"Soo incredibly lost and devistated [sic] my thoughts and prayers go out to all the familys and friends involved," the San Marcos resident said on his Facebook page late Sunday. "Thank you too all my friends for sticking with me even thru these tragic times I love you all."
In addition to the deaths, four people were taken to hospitals by air in serious condition. Five others suffered minor to moderate injuries.
The 200-mile race was part of an amateur series on a course in the Lucerne Valley area of San Bernardino County, east of Los Angeles, said Tim Franke of the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
Vince Dimiao, a driver who was running just ahead of the truck that crashed, said the races often take place at night due to the extreme heat. He said officials initially halted the race for an hour due to the crash, then canceled it completely when the scope of the carnage became known.
The race's sanctioning body, Mojave Desert Racing, urges spectators to stay back 100 feet from the 50-mile course.
"But as you can tell, there are no delineations to where the track begins and where the track ends at this point," said Joaquin Zubieta, a California Highway Patrol spokesman.
Dimiao said there are few restrictions for spectators.
Larry Webster, automotive editor for Popular Mechanics magazine, said few such races remain "precisely for this problem."
"It's just very difficult to control the spectators," Webster said. "You can give all the warnings you want, but at the end of the day, they're out there, they're on their own and they do what they want."
But Rich Minga, a former off-road racing champ, defended the sport Sunday.
"This sport's been safe throughout the years," he said. "We have a wonderful track record -- it's been a great, great form of family entertainment."
Minga called it "quite shocking" at how close the spectators at the Lucerne Valley race were to the course but acknowledged that fans frequently gather at points "where the cars might be apt to do something more exciting."
Minga said he supported an investigation "so we could put more safety measures and keep it a little bit safer."
Jonathan Davy, who attended Saturday's deadly race and captured the accident on video, said he sensed the danger even before the crash.
"They have barricades up ... to hold the fans back and the spectators, and it still doesn't control the situation with the fans because they want to get as close as possible to what's going on," Davy said. "It's really intense -- everybody's going, 'Go faster, go faster, go faster!' and a lot of people hit these jumps and get air and everyone cheers and it's just crazy."
"Even for me to be right there filming was very dumb," he said. " was just in the moment."
Davy said the event was his first off-road race.
"What seemed to be like a great day ... something I had never been to before, just turned tragic," he said. "It's forever going to be in my head. I couldn't sleep last night. I got chills right now just thinking about it."
