By Dennis Romero – NBC NEWS
Two children were killed and eight people were injured when a racing vehicle ran off the track and struck spectators Saturday afternoon in the Texas Hill Country, according to authorities.
a 6 year old boy was pronounced dead at the scene and another minor 8 years He died at a hospital, Kerrville police, where the accident occurred, said in a statement Saturday night.
Among the eight injured was a 46-year-old woman in critical condition; a 27-year-old woman, also in critical condition; a 26-year-old man whose status was unknown; and a 34-year-old man, identified as the driver and described by police as “stable.”
[Ocho hospitalizados, tres de ellos de gravedad, luego de que una camioneta se estrellara contra una multitud en una carrera en Texas]
Two other people were treated at the scene and released. Also, a 3-month-old girl and a 4-year-old boy were hospitalized for evaluation “as a precaution,” police said.
The injured were taken to medical centers in Kerrville, Austin and San Antonio, it added.
The accident occurred around 3:20 pm on a Kerrville Aviation temporary runway at the Kerrville-Kerr County Airport, about 65 miles (105 km) northwest of San Antonio.
Police, who are investigating the accident, said that the driver lost control and went off the track before hitting bystanders and parked vehicles.
The race was part of the ‘Airport Race Wars 2’ event. Organizers and an airport official did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Ross Dunagan, the founder of Flyin ‘Diesel Performance & Offroad, an airport-side auto repair shop that hosted the race, said in a facebook video about an hour after the accident: “The race is closed and we ask that you please pray for everyone involved.”
The event was promoted on the Kerrville Convention and Visitors Bureau website as a “Action packed day for the whole family”. “Come see some of the fastest racing cars compete for more than $ 8,000 in prize money,” the ad read.
[Choque múltiple: al menos cuatro muertos y nueve heridos en un accidente con un tráiler en Phoenix, Arizona]
Unprepared races have become famous thanks to the success of the program Street Outlaws from Discovery. The term describes competition where the tracks are not prepared on race day with a liquid traction compound that encourages tire grip and allows cars to move forward rather than spinning their wheels.
The show and its spin-offs have filmed multiple crashes during races and testing.
These types of races also usually involve a limitation in the size of the tires, which can also limit the grip. The result is more unpredictable, as the most expensive car does not always win.
