Saturday night as tens of thousands of spectators gathered to watch the California 200 in the Mojave Desert, tragedy struck. At approximately 8pm PST the driver of a white Forerunner race truck lost control at what race enthusiasts call the Rock Pile. The Rock Pile is a snake like section of the track which weaves around several large boulders. After losing control the vehicle went airborne, flipping several times before landing on top of several spectators.

In total 8 people have been confirmed dead in the accident, while 12 others were injured, several in serious condition. Authorities said that the victims of the crash had virtually no chance to get out of the way. The crash happened so fast and there was very little room for them to move. Due to the remote location of the race, it took a while for rescue crews to arrive. When they did, they found 6 people dead, and over a dozen others injured, some trapped under the vehicle itself. Two other victims died after arriving at the hospital.

The safety of the crowd is continuing to be questioned. The spectators were permitted to stand within 10 feet of the actual race track, without having any barriers in the way of them and the race vehicles. The Identity of the driver has not been released by authorities, and he has not been charged with anything, nor is expected to be.