Tom,
By all accounts, the excessiveness of Critchley burnout was not out of the norm from previous years' events. I remember reading in articles immediately following the tragic incident that they had had Pro Mod type cars do similar burnouts at previous events.
If that is true, then your argument stating the authorities having no reasonable expectation is bogus.
Regardless of the excessiveness of Critchley burnout, the fact that the country on a whole has been witness to numerous incidents of out of control street races causing injury/death to bystanders should have warranted greater crowd control/protection. How many other modified/race cars were allowed to perform burnouts with the potential for the same tragic results? Any one of the cars could have lost control or had breakage that could have sent it careening into the crowd.
I also can't help but wonder if we are witnessing a "locals taking care of their own" in this situation. Would Troy be singled out so aggressively if he were a born and raised American local instead of a highly successful Australian?
Greg,
I think the points you make are certainly valid, but are not really applicable to the situation. This was an exhibition of hotrods and race cars. Not an illegal street race. If by chance, in the past, ProMods or any other vehicles were allowed to do high speed lengthy burnouts on this stretch of public access, then yes you are correct. The police or the governmental entities should have had a reasonable expectation that a potential disaster existed.
I doubt that any police chief, mayor, city manager, etc etc. would have ever authorized such display if they knew, with reasonable expectation, that such a tragedy was remotely possible. It defies logic for sure!
Like I mentioned in my previous post, I doubt seriously that any governmental representative had the forethought to tell the exhibitors not to unnecessarily place themselves and the crowd in harm's way. It was assumed on every one's part, I'm sure, that reasonable care would have been exercised. Unfortunately it was not!
I am purely speculating here, but I doubt that anyone with any form of common sense and in a position of authority would have given Mr. Critchley the "green light" to smoke'em all the way down Main Street. JMO of course.
On the other side of the coin, Mr. Critchley certainly knew the performance characteristics of his car and the potential for disaster on his exhibition display. He knew, or should have known with reasonable certainty, that a disaster could happen if he exceeded the parameters of his exhibition. This was an experienced race car driver performing an exhibition on a stretch of road with open access in numerous unsecured spectator areas.
In so far as preferential treatment of Mr. Critchley regarding prosecution because he is from another country, I doubt that seriously. It would be difficult, if not nearly impossible, for that type of distinction to be drawn because of where he was born. Andy Taylor himself would have been charged had he been the driver instead of Troy!
Horrible, horrible set of circumstances in which everyone directly and indirectly involved learned a painful lesson regarding assumptions.
I agree with Jenn on this one. Forgiveness is a powerful tool and nothing posted here will bring back the victims, nor ease the suffering of the families, officials and of course Troy himself.
Tom.
