If you have never attended a demolition derby, can you really call yourself an American? Who hasn’t at least once attended a demo derby at a county fair, a local race track, or another community event? The United States doesn’t have a monopoly on these smash-’em-up roadeos, though. Folks down under also appreciate a little car-crashing carnage.
Unfortunately, one demolition derby took a very bad turn on Saturday night at the annual Walcha Motorcycle Rally in Australia. 13 people were injured when a car crashed into the crowd during the derby.
According to ABC News in Australia, as of Monday, four of the people who were injured at the demolition derby were still hospitalized. Two of them were listed as being in serious but stable condition. New South Wales police reported that the injured fans ranged in age from 20 to 75.
The incident reportedly occurred when a demolition derby car drove through a fence and hit the grandstand. Police reported that the 27-year-old driver of the car that crashed into the stands had been involved in a collision just before it hit the fence.
“It’s lucky we’ve got great ambulance, SES, and fire in Walcha,” Mayor Eric Noakes told 2GB radio on Monday. The Walcha Council and SafeWork NSW, workplace health and safety regulators in New South Wales, are currently investigating the accident.
Demolition derbies will now be scrutinized for safety
As a result of the incident, ABC News reports that regulators will now scrutinize demolition derbies with a “fine-tooth comb.” Australian Demolition Derby Association president Nathan Williams agreed, while adding, “This is a one-of-a-kind thing that’s happened.”
Williams said his group has “tried to become the governing body of demolition derby in NSW,” but was not consulted. He said that if organizers had consulted them, they would have suggested tighter “build restrictions” for the derby vehicles.
“This will be something that won’t be looked past; the sport will survive, but it will definitely be damaged,” he said, adding that because of the spotlight being put on the accident, “it will be a much safer sport moving forward.”
