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Federal Agency Admits Not Following Procedure in Issuing Permit for Last Summer's Deadly California 200 Race
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the federal agency responsible for issuing permits for off-highway vehicle (OHV) events, has released the results of an internal review conducted as a follow-up to the deadly August 2010 Mojave Desert crash that took the lives of eight race spectators.
Acting BLM State Director Jim Abbott explains:
“This tragic accident was a call for us to take an unvarnished look at what went wrong and what BLM can do to improve safety and oversight of these types of races. We are cooperating fully with the California Highway Patrol's ongoing investigation into the accident, but our own internal review found we did not follow agency procedures in permitting and overseeing the event. We have swiftly taken corrective action by implementing the recommendations of the review team, raising the bar for oversight and safety at all such events, and moving forward with a sense of shared responsibility and accountability.”
The August 14 race was held on federal land at Soggy Dry Lake. A driver lost control of his vehicle, and plowed into a large crowd of spectators, killing eight and injuring several others. "More than a dozen authorized SRP events have occurred since August 14, all with appropriate BLM law enforcement and management staff oversight," says the BLM.
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