For years now, the Bureau of Land Management has allowed off-road races to be held on land that falls under its jurisdiction.  There have always been critics alleging that the agency was blind to the dangerous conditions at many of these races, where throngs of spectators inch closer to the racing “tracks,” placing their lives at serious risk.  Over the weekend, a deadly accident during the California 200 race in Lucerne Valley, proved these critics right.  A racer lost control of his pickup truck after a jump, and rolled into a crowd of people nearby.  Eight people lost their lives, and at least five were injured.

The accident has received national media attention, but the critics, who have long held that the BLM remains blind to the dangers in allowing these unregulated races on its land, have always been around.  These critics have found a new voice since the accident.  The BLM has admitted that it will now conduct a review of its current safety policies for permitted off-road races on land that falls under its jurisdiction.  It is also considering a review of the accident.

It's not just the BLM that's come under sharp criticism since the accident.  The promoter of the race, El Monte-based Mojave Desert Racing, has come under sharp fire for failing to ensure that spectators were standing at a safe distance away from the racing trucks.  An accident like this could have been prevented if, as the company’s own requirements spell out, the spectators were standing at a distance of at least 100 feet away from the trucks.  That didn't happen, and the spectators were too close to all the racing, with lethal consequences. 

The promoter also has a contract with the BLM, which requires that spectators be kept at a distance of at least 50 feet away from the trucks.  It's not just the failure of the promoter to follow these rules which Los Angeles truck accident lawyers will focus on, but also the failure of the agency to ensure that its rules were followed.

Last Friday, a collision between a South Lake City train and a car started a series of events that ended in a second, related accident, landing three people in the hospital.

The TRAX train was traveling east around 8 p.m. on Friday, and struck a vehicle that had crossed into the train's path.

Amazingly, the car's driver was not killed in the impact, despite turning left across the train's path. The 27-year-old woman and her car were dragged 300 feet before finally stopping. Firefighters had to cut open the car to remove her, but she was conscious when she was taken to the hospital. The accident occurred on the University of Utah Campus.

UTA procedures in the matter are clear. The TRAX operator is to be given a test for drugs and alcohol, and will be on paid leave until the university police complete their investigation. While there were people traveling on the train and the accident was quite serious, nobody was hurt and the delay was minimal.

"Those trains are so big and heavy, people on board would only have felt a bump," said a UTA official.

Shortly after the impact, a UTA truck responding to the accident ran a red light, which caused the second accident. It ultimately lead to a four car pileup on the eastern and southbound lanes in the area.

UTA trucks are equipped with warning flashers, but they are yellow, not blue and white emergency lights.

The trucking accident was caused when the truck was hit by a northbound car, which threw the maintenance vehicle into another car in the left-turn lane. The fourth vehicle rear-ended the turn lane car a moment later.

Five people were injured in this secondary accident, two of whom were taken to nearby hospitals with minor injuries. The other drivers were able to be treated at the scene instead of requiring hospital attention.

UTA has said the driver will be cited for violating the red light and causing the accident.