Image via Ariana News/YouTube
Most people who get behind the wheel of a racecar understand what they’re doing is dangerous. Even if you’re wearing a fire-retardant suit, collar, and helmet with a safety cage, harness, and fire suppression system surrounding you, you might not walk away at the end of the day. But a race in Sri Lanka involved the deaths of seven, none of whom were drivers.
Watch a racecar vault over a safety fence in a freak accident.
The accident happened during the Fox Hill Supercross 2024 event. Footage of the race before the crash show cars speeding around the dirt track, just feet away from the watching crowd.
According to multiple reports, seven people died, five of them at the scene, after a racecar plowed into the crowd. An eight-year-old boy and four track assistants were among the dead. Simple placards acted as a barrier, obviously doing nothing to prevent this type of accident.
Reports also indicate 23 other people were critically injured in the crash. The scene was chaotic as officials tried to help the injured and loved ones carried people off to seek medical treatment.
A police investigation into the crash has been launched. We’re not familiar with Sri Lanka’s laws or legal system, but we fail to see what crime was committed. This looked like more of a tragedy than anything.
Still, Ariana News says two racecar drivers were arrested by police while at the hospital, both of them having been injured in the crash.
Racing was ended after the accident. It’s unclear what future plans for the event might entail.
Obviously, this incident helps to illustrate why tracks these days have all kinds of safety measures, including fencing and other barriers. Even with those in place, there are still accidents, but they’re fewer and further between.
Images via Ariana News/YouTube
