Post by Queen of the Damned on Jan 19, 2009 22:25:29 GMT -5
"Drive train parts examined in deadly monster truck accident
Metal chunk struck 6-year-old boy in head
P-I STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES
Investigators examined pieces of the drivetrain from an oversized truck this weekend to try to learn why a Frisbee-sized chunk of metal tore loose and killed a 6-year-old boy at a Monster Jam truck show in the Tacoma Dome.
"Natural High," the so-called monster truck at the center of the investigation, appeared to have mechanical problems Friday night before it spewed metal debris that hit and killed spectator Sebastian Hizey, witnesses said.
Police investigating the accident have gathered loose parts of the drivetrain and the drivetrain loop, a special monster truck device that is supposed to hold the drivetrain on the vehicle, Monster Jam spokesman Bill Easterly said.
He said he could give no further details of the loose parts, including where they were found. "I've never seen the loop or the drive shaft parts come off like this," he added.
Steven Payne, a spokesman for Monster Jam parent company Feld Motor Sports Inc., said officials are eager to obtain the parts for metallurgical testing to try to learn the cause of the accident. Both companies are based in Aurora, Ill.
Tacoma police would have no further information on the parts or other aspects of their inquiry before Monday at the earliest, department spokesman Mark Fulghum said.
Witness Christine Moe of Renton said the truck was in the show earlier for a race, but was removed by forklift when it didn't start. Then, about 10 p.m., it returned for a freestyle performance during which a large piece fell off from under the truck, smashed into pieces, and sprayed the crowd, Moe said.
The debris hit the boy and a man. As paramedics attended to them, the show continued. The boy later died at a hospital. The man survived.
The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office identified the boy as Sebastian from Puyallup.
Easterly, senior director of operations for event promoter Monster Jam, confirmed the truck's name.
"All of us at Feld Motor Sports and all the Monster Jam drivers and crew extend our deepest sympathies to the families involved," he said. "The safety of our customers is our top priority."
Before Saturday's 2 p.m. show at the city-owned Tacoma Dome, organizers had a moment of silence for Sebastian and the injured man, Easterly said.
The Natural High truck driver, he added, is "absolutely devastated."
The driver did not receive any type of police citation after the Friday accident.
The fiberglass-body truck was not in the show Saturday and the owner, Kelvin Ramer of Watsonville, Calif., could not be reached by telephone Sunday.
Moe, who attended the show with her husband and their two children, said the truck, a red Chevy SSR, had completed its routine of crushing cars and was rearing up on two wheels when the driver "gunned it" from one end of the pit to the other.
"That's when everything just exploded and broke apart," Moe said.
In an interview with The News Tribune of Tacoma, Jessie Hizey, the father of the accident victim, said a 7- to 12-pound metal ring sheared off a 3-inch-long and 3-inch-wide chunk of his son's skull.
"You go out for a night of fun, and you lose your son," Hizey said in a whisper, his face twisted in grief.
Easterly said the event continued because there was no immediate news that there was a "grave situation."
"Otherwise, we would have stopped it immediately," he said. "We just did not know."
No protective screen separated the audience from the trucks.
"If we were at a hockey game, there would be Plexiglas. But there's nothing," Moe said.
But Easterly said promoters follow "extensive" safety measures, including barriers, such as shipping containers or trash Dumpsters, between trucks and spectators for all events.
Decisions on the types of barriers to use are based on size, design and seating of each venue.
While there were safety barriers on the Tacoma Dome floor on Friday, they did not extend completely around the arena floor, Easterly said, but rather were placed in areas that organizers thought were absolutely necessary.
As an added precaution, seats closest to the arena floor are kept empty, Easterly said.
Monster truck shows have been a staple at the Tacoma Dome for more than 20 years, featuring vehicles weighing 9,000 pounds or more and equipped with 5-foot tires.
Easterly said Friday's fatality was the first one in the 25 years that Monster Jam has been promoting such events, though there have been deadly accidents at other monster truck shows.
Feld has "a stellar safety record" with no prior significant accidents in Tacoma, said Mike Combs, city director of public assembly facilities.
According to The Associated Press, monster truck accidents have killed five people and injured more than 40 between 1992 and 2007. On Saturday, hundreds of people lined up to attend a 2 p.m. Monster Jam performance. Jason and Tisha Pina, of Federal Way, brought their five children, ages 4 to 8, to Saturday's show.
Tisha Pina said she's always felt safe at the shows because of a safety barrier between the audience and the performance, and the placement of the stands where fans sit.
"You're pretty high up," she said.
The couple said they always take safety precautions when bringing their children. The kids sported tinted safety glasses provided by dad, who works construction, and earplugs.
"It was actually kind of shocking to hear something like this would happen," Jason Pina said.
"I've never seen anything come near the stands."
This report includes information from P-I reporters Brad Wong, Vanessa Ho and Hector Castro."
seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/396613_monstertruck19.html
this is just horrible. the fact that they didn't stop the show was disgusting. I've read a few accounts of what happened. But all appeared that it took a while to stop the show.
Metal chunk struck 6-year-old boy in head
P-I STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES
Investigators examined pieces of the drivetrain from an oversized truck this weekend to try to learn why a Frisbee-sized chunk of metal tore loose and killed a 6-year-old boy at a Monster Jam truck show in the Tacoma Dome.
"Natural High," the so-called monster truck at the center of the investigation, appeared to have mechanical problems Friday night before it spewed metal debris that hit and killed spectator Sebastian Hizey, witnesses said.
Police investigating the accident have gathered loose parts of the drivetrain and the drivetrain loop, a special monster truck device that is supposed to hold the drivetrain on the vehicle, Monster Jam spokesman Bill Easterly said.
He said he could give no further details of the loose parts, including where they were found. "I've never seen the loop or the drive shaft parts come off like this," he added.
Steven Payne, a spokesman for Monster Jam parent company Feld Motor Sports Inc., said officials are eager to obtain the parts for metallurgical testing to try to learn the cause of the accident. Both companies are based in Aurora, Ill.
Tacoma police would have no further information on the parts or other aspects of their inquiry before Monday at the earliest, department spokesman Mark Fulghum said.
Witness Christine Moe of Renton said the truck was in the show earlier for a race, but was removed by forklift when it didn't start. Then, about 10 p.m., it returned for a freestyle performance during which a large piece fell off from under the truck, smashed into pieces, and sprayed the crowd, Moe said.
The debris hit the boy and a man. As paramedics attended to them, the show continued. The boy later died at a hospital. The man survived.
The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office identified the boy as Sebastian from Puyallup.
Easterly, senior director of operations for event promoter Monster Jam, confirmed the truck's name.
"All of us at Feld Motor Sports and all the Monster Jam drivers and crew extend our deepest sympathies to the families involved," he said. "The safety of our customers is our top priority."
Before Saturday's 2 p.m. show at the city-owned Tacoma Dome, organizers had a moment of silence for Sebastian and the injured man, Easterly said.
The Natural High truck driver, he added, is "absolutely devastated."
The driver did not receive any type of police citation after the Friday accident.
The fiberglass-body truck was not in the show Saturday and the owner, Kelvin Ramer of Watsonville, Calif., could not be reached by telephone Sunday.
Moe, who attended the show with her husband and their two children, said the truck, a red Chevy SSR, had completed its routine of crushing cars and was rearing up on two wheels when the driver "gunned it" from one end of the pit to the other.
"That's when everything just exploded and broke apart," Moe said.
In an interview with The News Tribune of Tacoma, Jessie Hizey, the father of the accident victim, said a 7- to 12-pound metal ring sheared off a 3-inch-long and 3-inch-wide chunk of his son's skull.
"You go out for a night of fun, and you lose your son," Hizey said in a whisper, his face twisted in grief.
Easterly said the event continued because there was no immediate news that there was a "grave situation."
"Otherwise, we would have stopped it immediately," he said. "We just did not know."
No protective screen separated the audience from the trucks.
"If we were at a hockey game, there would be Plexiglas. But there's nothing," Moe said.
But Easterly said promoters follow "extensive" safety measures, including barriers, such as shipping containers or trash Dumpsters, between trucks and spectators for all events.
Decisions on the types of barriers to use are based on size, design and seating of each venue.
While there were safety barriers on the Tacoma Dome floor on Friday, they did not extend completely around the arena floor, Easterly said, but rather were placed in areas that organizers thought were absolutely necessary.
As an added precaution, seats closest to the arena floor are kept empty, Easterly said.
Monster truck shows have been a staple at the Tacoma Dome for more than 20 years, featuring vehicles weighing 9,000 pounds or more and equipped with 5-foot tires.
Easterly said Friday's fatality was the first one in the 25 years that Monster Jam has been promoting such events, though there have been deadly accidents at other monster truck shows.
Feld has "a stellar safety record" with no prior significant accidents in Tacoma, said Mike Combs, city director of public assembly facilities.
According to The Associated Press, monster truck accidents have killed five people and injured more than 40 between 1992 and 2007. On Saturday, hundreds of people lined up to attend a 2 p.m. Monster Jam performance. Jason and Tisha Pina, of Federal Way, brought their five children, ages 4 to 8, to Saturday's show.
Tisha Pina said she's always felt safe at the shows because of a safety barrier between the audience and the performance, and the placement of the stands where fans sit.
"You're pretty high up," she said.
The couple said they always take safety precautions when bringing their children. The kids sported tinted safety glasses provided by dad, who works construction, and earplugs.
"It was actually kind of shocking to hear something like this would happen," Jason Pina said.
"I've never seen anything come near the stands."
This report includes information from P-I reporters Brad Wong, Vanessa Ho and Hector Castro."
seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/396613_monstertruck19.html
this is just horrible. the fact that they didn't stop the show was disgusting. I've read a few accounts of what happened. But all appeared that it took a while to stop the show.