THINK BEFORE YOU MUD
Leathal Mudders
Aug/Sept 2013
Like most of us who love this sport, you go to these events to get muddy, have a great time with family and friends while watching the biggest, baddest, and fastest of trucks do some major mudslinging. Parks that put on these events try their very best to ensure the safety of the drivers, as well as the fans by installing fences, guardrails, rules, and security. However, after attending the BATTLE of the AREA CODES event at the Bithlo Mud Racing track, we discovered sometimes its just not enough.
After waiting for over 3 hours in bumper to bumper traffic on hwy 50 in Bithlo, FL to get into the mud track (due to no fault of the track itself), we noticed almost every parking spot was filled. As we considered ourselves lucky to find a spot to the left of the officials tower where the "finish liine" normally was, we were all in agreement that it was going to be a crazy night. Boy, was that an understatement.
Out of the first four trucks that ran, two of them flipped over, one of which flipped in the final turn before the home stretch ( to the right of the officials tower). Now at the time before the rollovers, there were a few dozen people standing in the barricaded pit area. After we found out these drivers were okay, we started thinking about the fans who were standing so close to where these trucks had just flipped. They had no concern for their own safety or the safety of the drivers who could have been possibly injured. All they wanted was to see...be close to the action, they didn't care what risk were taken. As the night went on more and more fans packed into that little barricaded area to "get the best view". It got so out of hand that even though the announcer told them they had to back up for their own safety, they continued to pour in. So many people crowded in this area, that the drivers were hardly able to maneuver these massive trucks around them to get to the starting line.
As the night continued, we watched as children crossed the safety fence to stand and play by the guardrails. The annoucer was immediately heard over the microphone yelling at the parents to grab their children or be escorted off the property. Where were the parents of these children as they played so close to danger? What were they thinking? Was it just a lack paying attention, alcohol induced ignorance or just plain stupidity on their behalf? Thank goodness nothing happened to those innocent children, but something could have gone terribly wrong. For those of you who may be saying to yourself that those children weren't in any real danger well, as everyone watched Kenny Wing Jr.'s truck be engulfed by flames on that same side, we would have to disagree.
Yes,every day we get out of a bed there are risks, crossing the road, eating out, going to work ... all involve risks and people are severely injured doing these things each and every day. That doesn't mean that we should disregard the safety measures that have been put in place at these events. Its because of such acts of ignorance by others that this sport has such a bad rep, people are getting hurt or worse...killed. Its why the towns are trying to shut us down and why we are losing mud parks all the time. So, we ask each and every one of you to think about not only your own safety, but the safety of everyone around you. Lets show everyone why we have the best sport with the best trucks...because we are more than a bunch of rednecks that like to play in the mud...we are family....a family that looks out for one another.