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The mother of a Riverside man who was one of eight spectators killed while watching the California 200 races in the Lucerne Valley last summer "has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the promoter and off-roader whose truck careened into [the] crowd," according to LA Now.
The annual desert race turned deadly when one driver, Brett M. Sloppy of San Marcos, lost control of his vehicle and plowed into the group of attendees watching alongside the racecourse. Sloppy has been named in the suit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court by Therrien's mother, Doris Levinson, as has Mojave Desert Racing of South El Monte. Levinson's suit alleges the spectator viewing area was located in "unreasonably dangerous" proximity to the course.
The suit notes that Levinson intends "to sue the Bureau of Land Management, which granted a permit for the California 200 night race on federal desert land." In November, the BLM issued a report following a probe that admitted their agency did not follow proper procedure in issuing the permit for the popular off-road race. Thierrien was struck and killed after he pushed his three-year-old daughter out of harm's way.
Sloppy, however, will not face criminal charges in relation to the fatal crash; the California Highway Patrol say this is because the accident "occurred during a 'sanctioned' sporting event permitted by the BLM and did not involve public roadways."
