News / People
Drag-Racing Accident at Charity Event Kills Seven in Tennessee
A drag racing event organized to raise money for the Cars for Kids charity ended in tragedy on Saturday night after an “burnout” went wrong and resulted in the deaths of seven fans attending the event.
With a large crowd of people lining the speedway in which the drivers would race down there was little protection separating them from the high-powered vehicles. The accident occurred when one driver was performing an “burnout” which includes revving the car’s engine and spinning the tires in order to produce smoke. When the driver let loose down the strip his car fishtailed, hit a utility pole and then slammed into the crowd.
While there was a guard rail along part of the speedway there was a stretch that left spectators unprotected. Witnesses at the scene described the chaos that ensued when the car entered the crowd saying there were bodies flying everywhere.
On Sunday state officials bumped the death toll from the accident from four to seven with several individuals still in the hospital.
