This is just horrible. Car show disaster leaves two dead, many injured By TYRONE TONY REED ttreed@jacksonsun.com SELMER - A drag racing car performing a controlled burnout went out of control in Selmer Saturday, killing at least two bystanders and seriously injuring up to 15, according to law enforcement authorities in McNairy County. There were conflicting reports Saturday night on the number of people killed and injured in the incident, which occurred on one of the city streets as part of the Cars for Kids Car Show. Thousands had gathered here for the annual event. Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman Mike Browning told the Associated Press that four people died and up to 15 were injured in the accident. But McNairy County Sheriff Ricky Roten only confirmed two dead at the scene. Victms were transported to hospitals across West Tennessee, including The Regional Medical Center at Memphis. Hours after the crash, a large throng of onlookers continued to keep vigil behind police tape as law enforcement authorities began their investigation. Many were visibly shaken. Aleese Atkins, 17, said she was standing at the end of the street when she heard someone talking about a drag race, ''so I kind of moved out to the end of the road. ''All I heard was a car coming up the street and then all of a sudden people started flying up in the air,'' Atkins said. ''Everyone started screaming and running. I never thought anything like this would happen in Selmer.'' Scott Henley, of Selmer, who witnessed the accident, said the vehicle started burning off its tires, then began to fishtail and careened into a light pole before spinning around into the audience. At a press conference, Selmer Police Chief Neal Burks called the accident, ''a tragic event.'' Burks said the accident happened at 6 p.m. He said the race car loss control, veered off of the highway and went into the crowd of onlookers. Burks would not release the names of victims. He said hospital officials were trying to contact family members. Burks said the driver survived the crash and was being questioned by the Tennessee Highway Patrol. He said no charges had been filed Saturday night. Cars for Kids holds several events throughout the nation and raises close to $200,000 per year for charities that help children in need, according to the charity's Web site. About 40,000 to 60,000 people were expected to attend the weekend event in Selmer. The Associated Press contributed to this story. What to know Definition of a controlled burnout: The back tires spin until they blow out. Brakes are on the front but not on the back. Usually, there will be something blocking the front of the car. Produces clouds of smoke. Motorcycles participate in same activity. The front wheel is in a cage that if it gets out of control, it can't go anywhere. - Source: Gene Allbert, Gene's Tire and Wrecker Service.
If you scroll past that Fred Thompson thing just right, it looks like it says "protect the nipples". Well, that's just good advice for anybody.
Wow, that is bad. One of the tires must have hooked up for a second and spun it or the line lock failed.
No guard rails = Bunch of stupid people. I'd never sit near a drag race without any guard rails. Its funny how god weeds out the bad apples.
It was not a drag race. It was a drag race car lighting them up on a regular street during a parade. Just a bad accident.
