[Sean]

Just wondering if anyone has any hard facts about the spectator crash on the access road to the spectator stage? We already have [link:forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=400926|plenty of rumors], but I was wondering if anyone had updates on the driver and/or passengers?

http://www.tkngrl.net/random/MVI_0395.AVI

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid72/p0d113ddad7e27369d995074334899727/fb7f6d6c.jpg

http://www.trunkmonkey.com/Scrapbook/Gallery/20030801-04-MFPR/IMG_2186.sized.jpg

http://www.trunkmonkey.com/Scrapbook/Gallery/20030801-04-MFPR/IMG_2187.sized.jpg

http://www.trunkmonkeyracing.com/pics/lil.gif http://www.trunkmonkeyracing.com/

 

[JohnLane]

Yikes!!
How?
John Lane
Viva Le Pro Le Ralliat

 

[Jason_Grahn]

Hot-shot-wanna-be-a-rally-driver WRX owner?

 

[Widget Codriver]

Thank goodness for the rain

If this had been Rim or Oregon this year.... Oh, wait, it rained there too.

[hr]

[p align=right]John Dillon
John @ WidgetRacing.com
www.WidgetRacing.com

 

[Walter Clark]

The info at NASOIC is pretty accurate as far as I can tell. We (00) were at the 7 finish control when the onsite paramedic got word of the incident on his radio (fire and rescue were on the scene of the wreck at that point) and they the estimated an hour to remove the injured. The paramedics on the radio reported they didnt think the injuries were life threatening but there were broken bones and lacerations. After consultation with the 0 car moved the 00 car well down the transit to a point where we could safely hold the rally cars and take an alternate route to service if need be (much longer drive). About a half hour later we got word the medical teams had evacuated the injured but the wrecker was not yet on site. We headed the procession on down to find the wrecker had arrived and was extracating the car from the ditch and thus the road was again closed. We were held there only a few minutes and led a nice parade into service from there.

The car was a blue Impreza - probably a WRX. It obviously had been impacted in the rear and right side with damage well onto the roof (it not clear to me it rolled as been speculated because the drivers side roof pillars arent compressed) and every other piece of sheetmetal was either bent or distorted from heat. The right side was down in the ditch (probably with standing water) and for the most part escaped incineration which is the only reason its color was identifiable.

I havent seen anything official online like a local newspaper article or police report.

 

[Sean]

OK, cool. So at least we have some of the cause and timetable facts nailed down. I'm still concerned about the passengers and the driver.

http://www.trunkmonkeyracing.com/pics/lil.gif http://www.trunkmonkeyracing.com/

 

[Sean]

It appears that way. The driver was allegedly passing other spectators on the access roads, lost it at high speed, ditched the car and it caught fire. The drivers that were passed are the people who pulled the driver and passengers out of the burning car and claimed that two female passengers had been begging the driver to slow down while driving up the stage road.

http://www.trunkmonkeyracing.com/pics/lil.gif http://www.trunkmonkeyracing.com/

 

[Lancia037Rally]

Seems that very same WRX passed us at a high rate of speed on the service transit to DOT parkinglot Saturday AM.
The beverage cooler inside the car was not burnt so at least someone rescued the beer.

 

[mgpsmith]

Does beer burn?

 

[Pete Kuncis]

>Does beer burn?

It's usually not around long enough to find out.

Pete

 

[VWRX]

Lots of speeding WRXs at this rally. I only had time to spectate SS3 on Friday, but there were a half-dozen problem drivers there alone. As I said in another thread, I think there should be a much more visible police presence at all stage outlets, and spectator areas -- especially where the gravel roads rejoin asphalt transit roads.

Way too many speeders, and not enough is being done about it. Organizers should focus on reducing speeding (and associated risk of injury, death, PR disaster etc) rather than wasting time and energy harassing pedestrian spectators in the woods. I spectated SS1 and SS3 on Friday and had multiple annoying interactions with needless assertive and self-congratulatory marshals. I think we need to focus on SAFETY here, and not bureaucracy and pedestrian wrangling, per se.

All that said, this is a great event & for the most part folks do the best they can with the resources available them. It'll always be really hard to cure teenagers and cocksure young men of their own irresponsibility. And in some weird way, I wonder if what happened to this guy this weekend isn't the best thing that could happen to him -- serious, expensive, scary, traumatic accident... but no life-threatening injuries, and no death. I expect he's one spectator who won't be driving like a jackass again, anytime soon. Hopefully this incident affects his friends too, and they -- at least they -- won't be making the same mistake again.

-Isaac

 

[VWRX]

Pou, are you here? I've read that this was a car from Quebec. Do you know these people?

Andrew, have you heard anything from Guillaume or Julien? Was it anybody they knew?

-Isaac

 

[Gravel Spray]

Yeah, those Subaru guys............

 

[Guest]

>Lots of speeding WRXs at this rally. I only had time to
>spectate SS3 on Friday, but there were a half-dozen problem
>drivers there alone. As I said in another thread, I think
>there should be a much more visible police presence at all
>stage outlets, and spectator areas -- especially where the
>gravel roads rejoin asphalt transit roads.


I agree 100%, exactly why I didn't want to take mine up there. When we were waiting for the SS7 on Sat and over heard the radio conversation about the crash, the first thing said was probally a 18 year old in a STI. Sounds like I wasn't far off.

I'm not sure what happened in the last 15 years since I was that age, but these kids have no respect for anything. They were taring down the yellow caution tape when leaving the stage, moving a posted cross (in there way for viewing) at the spectator area on SS7. Driving like morons on stage access and public roads.

This is only the second rally I've ever attended, but I can easily see how they won't last much longer with morons like these around. Maybe there should be spectator license too, then they can get fined as well.

Wow! I'm sounding like a crabby old [email protected], NOOOOO!!!!...I'M TOO YOUNG!!!!

 

[Pou]

Yep I'm here I wasn't in Maine.. I followed the thread yesterday but I don't know exactly who went to Maine from Quebec. A lot of people do!!! I know a few but not 2002+ WRX..

A thread has been started on the Montreal Subaru Club forum but no facts yet, just the usual speculations...

Pou

 

[jimmy]

The plate was from NJ.

press on (safely),

>Pou, are you here? I've read that this was a car from
>Quebec. Do you know these people?
>-Isaac

 

[akuhner]

> I spectated SS1 and SS3 on Friday and had
>multiple annoying interactions with needless assertive and
>self-congratulatory marshals. I think we need to focus on
>SAFETY here, and not bureaucracy and pedestrian wrangling,
>per se.

It's the marshalls job to enforce the rules, not enterpret them. In order for insurance coverage to continue the rules have to be enforced regardless of how much sense they make in any specific situation. You may have been in a safe place, but you have to be in the right safe place for it to count.

I'm not sure where they'd get more police in a place like that! So many miles of road to patrol... but it's a good idea.

Alex

 

[Rallymedik]

The BIG question is... Did they sign the release???

 

[Marty Allen]

I have a pic of the car as it was going through town on the flatbed truck. I also took a pic of it where it was dumped behind the petrol station.

When the car came through town everyone that was in service had just found out about the accident. About 10 min later the car arrived in town like it was in a parade. I was in shock at how bad the car was.. The rally cars seemed to transit the flatbed out of the stage. Hope everyone involved was ok. A few years ago I remember seeing a golf that went off the road too. Anyone remember that one?


http://www.werksrally.com/marty_maine/marty_maine/image_P1010093.JPG.html

http://www.werksrally.com/marty_maine/marty_maine/image_P1010073.JPG.html


I also have a link to other photos I took at the rally in the "photos" forum ......Thanks to Bill Washburn for hosting them

 

[Walter Clark]

Yes, I remember seeing a blue Impreza with NJ plates pull into the Thurston lot and part behind the 00 car a little while before we left to transit to SS5 and start opening stages. They came with 2-3 other cars and seemed to be shifting around passengers when we left.