Sad Day (1 Viewer)

[Angelo]

Re: Media Sucks!

My heart goes out to the families of those who lost their lives and to those who were injured.

My heart also goes out to Troy and all the people at AMS.

I do not know any details of what happened other than what I have read from media reports. I can tell you what I do know...

The folks at AMS, (including Troy) are good people with huge hearts and are quite often commiting selfless acts to help others. This was one of those times where they were trying to help and it turned into a very unfortunate situation.

I know Troy personally and can only imagine what he must be feeling right now. Everyone involved with that group of people has a good soul and I hope as racers and fans we can band together and support them in their hour of need rather than continue to Monday morning quarterback and pass judgement on a situation that none us of were involved in or know very much about.

 

[indidad- The Guy- Uncle Steve]

Re: Media Sucks!

So sad for everyone involved. If only more people were familiar with how powerful and unpredictible these machines actually are. I for one would never put myself or family anywhere near that situation. No matter how good the intentions, any racer should consider the risks involved. My prayers go out to this team and the families touched by this tragedy.

 

[Chili]

Re: Media Sucks!

This was a tragic accident and my heart goes out to everyone that is involved. I hope to make a donation to cars for kids to at least make a positive out of such a negative accident. You can make a donation at Cars for Kids - Helping Handicapped Kids . After looking through their website, doing a burnout was part of the event. If you go to the multi media section you can download some burnouts from previous years. One of the downloads is of the "Voodoo" corvette which was driven by Doug Palmer in NHRA ProMod events.

 

[ramblerjay]

Re: Media Sucks!

wow....after looking at those multimedia files on their website, the same thing could have happened at any of those sites as well. i wouldn't feel comfortable at all standing 20 feet away from one of those.

 

["Dr. Dirt"]

Re: Media Sucks!

wow....after looking at those multimedia files on their website, the same thing could have happened at any of those sites as well. i wouldn't feel comfortable at all standing 20 feet away from one of those.

Such innocent bystanders probably just trust the pros in these cases. It's akin to the Thunderbirds or Blue Angel's momentarily losing control or misjudging their position at an air show. It becomes an instant tragedy for all involved. I don't think this is the time for fault or blame as much as it is the time for healing/grieving. Enough pain has already been felt.

 

[megadeth]

With the mounting death toll and some very valid points I have changed the thread name.
I apologize it was upsetting to me to see such headlines but it pales by comparrison to what happened and the fact that people lost family members this is a very depressing day for all involved and I feel really bad for Troy.

As Doc pointed out Troy was trying to do a good thing and it ended in a horrific accident and my heart goes out to everyone involved.

 

[Demon]

Re: Media Sucks!

Such innocent bystanders probably just trust the pros in these cases. It's akin to the Thunderbirds or Blue Angel's momentarily losing control or misjudging their position at an air show. It becomes an instant tragedy for all involved. I don't think this is the time for fault or blame as much as it is the time for healing/grieving. Enough pain has already been felt.

Best post about this tragedy. I don't think anyone could say it better.

 

[scubasteve]

Re: Media Sucks!

sad deal all the way around , i agree with mr dunlap about crucifing troy , not going to go into my life story but at my 25th b day ( im 41 now) one of my closet friends was killed do to negligence on my part ( as decided by court) , i'll tell u this theres not a hour in anyday that dont go by that i dont think about him etc etc . troy will have to live with this for the rest of his life , and let me tell u it can be very tough. some of the post ive seen are the reason i dont post much on here. it was bad judgement by all involved yesterday and u cant turn back time . my prayers go out to the families effected and to troy as well.

 

[sparky]

Re: Media Sucks!

Back in the mid seventies, I went to a parade in Bremerton WA. Herm Peterson was a popular guy from the area and had his (and Sam Fitz's) top fuel car in the parade to promote their sponsor (Heidelberg beer) and the weekend's divisional race at Bremerton raceways. I was around 13 at the time and loved drag racing.

There were hundreds of people lining the main street for the parade. There were some floppers there as well. Much to my surprise (and delight) they fired the fueler and did a big fire burnout right between the crowd. Nothing went wrong and the crowd loved it. Afterward, I thought about how bad it would have been if something had gone wrong but it did'nt and all was well that ended well. Those tire tracks were visible for a year or more after that parade.

Some thirty five years later, this has happened and its unbelievably sad for all involved. Condolences to everyone, including the driver, who will have to live with this incident for the rest of his life. A real tragedy all around.

 

[Percboy]

Re: Media Sucks!

From WREG-TV WREG-TV Memphis - Stock car stunt goes horribly wrong, 5 killed, dozens injured
"A release from AMS said uneven pavement and the crowded road contibuted to the crash.
Critchley is said to have suffered unknown injuries."

If someone determined "uneven pavement" and "crowded road" conditions before the pass,
they wouldn`t even have fired the car up.
If they could determine that afterwards ,
they easily could have seen the conditions beforehand.
Sorry, but that is a lame "after the fact" excuse/statement.

 

[Murph]

Re: Media Sucks!

When I was 6-7 years old my parents took me to a similar type of exhibition run. It was a funny car doing a burnout in a mall parking lot. It made a strong impression on me and probably paid a large part of the love I have for the cars and sport I have today.

I guess what I'm tring to say is that Critchley and his team was in a position to expose his car and the sport in the same way. Had nothing gone wrong it would have been an impressive way to promote the sport.

I don't know, I can't explain what I want to say, especially after seeing the video. Its just a tragedy all the way around.

Its being carried as a top story in the Canadian national news as well. What wasn't a well thought out exhibition but one with good intentions just turned out to be a bad, bad deal.

My condolences to all involved.

 

[Nitrosnoopy]

Re: Media Sucks!

Sad Sad sad. My thoughts and prayer go out to all affected by this tragedy.

With that being said the racer and whomever organized the event and approved such action (burnout) need to go to jail and charged with death by motor vehicle . PERIOD. I dont care how many years the held this event with burnouts etc , nor do I care how expierienced a driver the driver is it was a bad idea . Common sense will carry you a long way in life . Obviously common sence was not part of organizing this event(allowing burnouts) nor was is part of the drivers judgement in doing the burnout . The bs team statement is just that BS, would they go the starting line knowing the track was wet intending to make a full power pass just cause the NHRA said it was safe. Hell no . They should have known the conditions before the engine was every fired ... you know like they do at every event before chosing a lane. If I lived in the area and would have went to the event and seen burnouts with other cars I would have gone home or some where else not wanting to comprimise the safety of me or my family. Now with all that being said the driver nor the organizer of the event had bad intentions . Neither does the drunk driver when he kills an inocent family of 4 when he decides to try to drive home and not wake up anyone to give him a ride . It was bad judgement , it was negligent on the driver and organizations part. Along with paying a huge amount of money to those families who are changed forever they need to do hard jail time for being so stupid to do such a stupid thing . And if tyhe was to get outta jail he should never be allowed to pilot or make any decisions regaurding a race vehicles operation . You guys may think I am piling on the driver and organizer but hey the truth hurts . Why would you treat this any different that a drunk driver is beyond comprehension. This does nothing to help the sport we love. And it pisses me off the actions of negligent people affect not just me but countless people who love and cherish this sport .

 

[Jay]

Re: Media Sucks!

I was hoping to come up here and tell you some exciting news that might happen as soon as tomorrow for one of the most respected and loved Top Fuel drivers in the NHRA, that has deserved the help more than anyone, but that will have to wait, because there is something far more important than that here....

First, lets all please say many, many prayers for all of the people that were hurt, the seven that were killed, and for their families and loved ones....That is the most important thing that any one of us can do right now...

Second, there is something that really needs to be said here..I hope you all read this....

Godspeed to those who lost their lives...their families, and MANY prayers to those who are fighting injuries as a result of this tradgedy....And Troy's heart was in the right place to help the event...He is not a criminal, rather he is guilty only of using terrible judgement....And pray for him, too...I could NEVER imagine the eternal pain that he will feel from this terrible day....

In the hope that you can try to someday peer through the little crack at the end of this horrible tunnell and see a bit of light, the onus is now squarely on the shoulders of the NHRA to step up to the plate and understanding that the loss of ANY life is horrific, let the losses of THESE lives help so many others in the future keep theirs by not street racing with 3000 pound land missles...The lessons that can be learned from this can save countless numbers of lives in the future...If these 7 people got their call from God early, let their sacrifices, and those of their families and loved ones be meaningful in saving many more...

It's time for the NHRA to use this tragedy to help save the lives of kids and go on a mission to help them keep it on the track...
Goodspeed to all....

 

[Tom]

Guys, I'm sorry if my post was harsh. I do understand that Troy was trying to kick a charity event into high gear (no pun intended), but I think some of you are looking at this with blinders on due to your love and passion for the sport. I think it was VERY commendable for Troy to attempt to kick up the donations a notch but come on, this is a 3500 HP racecar and running it on a city street on a pass (this was even more than a burnout, go back and listen to the motor in the video, he was grabbin at least 2nd gear by the time he got loose) with nothing more than a huge crowd of people as a wall. It was NOT a good idea. No matter how many times it had been sucessfully done in the past, no matter the good intentions, it was common sense that it should not have happened in the first place. I feel for Troy, this will scar him for life. However, I don't feel that is throwing him under the bus, as anyone with a lick of common sense could tell you before hand that that was going to be a recipe for disaster.

 

[Tom]

Re: Media Sucks!

I was hoping to come up here and tell you some exciting news that might happen as soon as tomorrow for one of the most respected and loved Top Fuel drivers in the NHRA, that has deserved the help more than anyone, but that will have to wait, because there is something far more important than that here....

First, lets all please say many, many prayers for all of the people that were hurt, the seven that were killed, and for their families and loved ones....That is the most important thing that any one of us can do right now...

Second, there is something that really needs to be said here..I hope you all read this....

Godspeed to those who lost their lives...their families, and MANY prayers to those who are fighting injuries as a result of this tradgedy....And Troy's heart was in the right place to help the event...He is not a criminal, rather he is guilty only of using terrible judgement....And pray for him, too...I could NEVER imagine the eternal pain that he will feel from this terrible day....

In the hope that you can try to someday peer through the little crack at the end of this horrible tunnell and see a bit of light, the onus is now squarely on the shoulders of the NHRA to step up to the plate and understanding that the loss of ANY life is horrific, let the losses of THESE lives help so many others in the future keep theirs by not street racing with 3000 pound land missles...The lessons that can be learned from this can save countless numbers of lives in the future...If these 7 people got their call from God early, let their sacrifices, and those of their families and loved ones be meaningful in saving many more...

It's time for the NHRA to use this tragedy to help save the lives of kids and go on a mission to help them keep it on the track...
Goodspeed to all....

BEAUTIFUL post Jay.

 

[Nitrohaulic]

Re: Media Sucks!

Nicely said Chris but beware your post may disapear

I don't think so. As much as I might disagree with some of what he said, he stated his opinions without insulting anyone, not to mention one other thing he didn't do.

 

[Nitrohaulic]

oh what might that be?

It's in your PM box, because they're not going to let us do that here, anyways.

This criminal negligence angle that people lean toward is an interesting one. Troy did the same thing that others did in the same place, with the same intentions. His outcome was simply different, so people think that someone should go to jail. I've had the beliefs that a drunk driver should get the same sentence as one who kills people, because dumb luck is the only reason that most don't. But, that's already illegal. If the cops allowed them to do that, I don't think they were breaking any laws.

I guess what I'm wondering is, should they go back and also jail anyone connected with everyone else who's done burnouts at the same event in the past, or just Troy's?

 

[Tom]

For what it's worth, Jail is a moot point, because trust me, the memories that will haunt Troy for the rest of his life are going to be a worse prison than any jail anyone can imagine.

I'm not a religious man by any stretch, but I will say this: Even though it was a very negligent, stupid, poorly thought out stunt, it WAS an accident. It was a well intentioned act that had, unfortunately, lived up to it's execution; it had the worst possible outcome. Regardless of the legal outcome, I'm sure the ultimate power that be will not hold this against him, he *was* trying to do a good deed with his heart in the right place. I'll be praying not only for the victims (and by that I mean everyone from the deceased and families, the witnesses and their families) but also Troy and his team too as well as the event organizers. Their hearts were in the right place, unfortunately, it was a BAD idea that had dire consequences.

And that's pretty much my take on the whole scenario after thinking about it. Yes, it was a BAD idea. One that will have dire consequences on the sport. However, no jail sentence could ever come close to the "life sentence" that Troy will endure for the rest of his life.

 

[downtime]

Lets try and keep this constructive if that is at all possible. I have litle doubt there will be enough lawyers and legal fees to fund an entire national event by the time this book is closed and all people involved will have to live with whatever their involvement.

I wager the sanctioning bodies will try to respond appropriately while maintaining some distance from this tragedy.

I simply suggest we try to be supportive to all involved as there will be no shortage of second guessing and fingerpointing.

All I do know is that everybody who was there, in whatever role, was there to help people who need help. I simply hope that as people we take the time to contribute to this charity regardless of the the turmoil from today's events.

It would be the right thing to do and reinforce, whatever our personal opinions, that our focus should be on helping and not hurting those around us.

 

[scoutboo]

Hi Guys,

Troy's shop is about 5 miles from mine, and I just talked to him on his cell on Wednesday. I consider him a friend, and there is something about this and all other threads I have found regarding the accident that is very troubling to me.

First off, I have not heard with absolute certainy that Troy was driving. If I have just missed someone confirming this, then please speak up and set the record straight. Knowing a little about their operation, I feel that he probably was, but at this point it's just a gut feeling.

Secondly, how about a little compassion for the condition of the driver (possibly Troy). There has been no shortage of pointless rambling regarding bad decisions and probable criminal prosecution, but very little if any about the driver's condition. All I know at this point is that he was taken to the emergency room. This tells me that he has some injuries and we need to remember this. I hope and pray that he is okay, and ask everyone to do the same.


I know it is very tempting to become just another Monday morning quarterback, but please remember one thing....each and everyone of us can think back on some decisions we have made that just leave us kind of scratching our heads with that what was I thinking look on our face. Unfortunately, this one had an absolutely tragic outcome. Going on and on with this thread about all of the 20/20 hindsight is pointless.

Please continue to pray for everyone affected by this horrible accident.