Sad Story - One that could've easily been avoided.

[Ethix101]

Here's the link http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=137540&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

This happened at a BMW Meet/Drive in SoCal...here's the first post for those that don't feel like clicking the link.

Originally posted by BiMMa b0i M3@www.bimmerforums.com

On the Santiago run, the Immola Red M3 spun out of control, flipped upside down, and one person died. no joke, his name was James. he burned to death because he was wedged in the back. this was a result of the driver going way over 100mph on a semi-sharp turn and gravel chipped his car. the front passenger survived with no injuries, but the driver lost his car, and he is badly cut/bruised.

Here is my perception of what happened:

I was in Scott's car (the guy with the E46 328i) and we were going about 60 and when we turn that corner, we see a mountain of flames. I was saying to myself please dont let it be one of the M's. when we got closer to the scene, i saw the M rim, and I saw that it was the Immola Red M3. I jetted out of the car, and started running towards the car, I hear some guy screaming for help, then when I get closer to the car, I hear three pops so I backed off. then the screaming from James ended. I knew that his life was over. there was nothing that anyone could do.

One of the guys is another M3 say his best friend burn to death, it wasnt a pretty site. There were a total of 4 E46 M3's , 1 burned down, 1 passed them up, and 2 stayed behind and helped out.

Then a whole bunch of motorist from both sides of traffic stopped their cars, and began helping out. one lady in a red civic hb had her window rolled down and said "thats what you ****ers get for street racing" everyone tried to call 911, but it was giving us the busy signal. and finally someone got through.

After Scott called 911, some guy in a truck comes up to the silver E46 M3 and asks "whose car is this" and then Socal M3 was on his cell phone, and says "its mine" and then the guy said "well come over here and sit on the curb, your being detained" after that, he busts out his badge. and then one passer by said "your a cop, thank god" and thats when me, scott, and the two guys in the TI's said **** it, we dont want to get involved, so we turned around and left, coz we couldnt handle **** like that.

I think the reason why this happened was that the guy in the Immola Red M3 wanted to beat the SMG Black M3, we all knew that he wasnt going to do it, the SMG M3 was just too fast, but then this guy was so determined to beat him, and he just couldnt do it, which resulted in him causing him to lose his car, someone else's life, and putting someone else in jeopardy.

Its obvious that the guy in the Immola Red is going be in jail these are some of the reasons why:

1. Street Racing (felony)
2. 1st Degree Murder (life in prison w/ or w/o parole)
3. Speeding
4. Exceeding 100 mph (felony)
5. Endangering Passengers

I dont know much more about it, but I think that everyone who attended this meet, should find out when the funeral services are, and to attended, its the least that we can do, considering that most people dont know who he is, but he didnt deserve this, to end his life at an early age.

This meet wouldnt have ended if everyone went on the run as a group, instead of running red lights, and speeding and cutting people off. we were broken up 3-4 different groups. and scorp didnt have his cell # on the directions which he should have done, so that we can tell him to wait so that everyone can catch up. another thing is that one of the guys who was in the Immola Red was trying to contact people with the walkie talkies on channel 71 or channel 7, and no one was answering. Im sure that if we would have gone as a group, not speeding and keeping a straight line throughout the canyon, this would have never happened.

It's amazing how much pain stupidity can cause.

-Mark

 

[Cobraboy]

It'll happen with drifting no doubt about it.

 

[Ethix101]

Who said anything about drifting? They were racing.


-Mark

 

[Cobraboy]

Yes, but street racing is here now, and is passing, drifting is the new thing is it not?

 

[Vasco]

I read all that yesterday.

 

[Ethix101]

Originally posted by Cobraboy
Yes, but street racing is here now, and is passing, drifting is the new thing is it not?

People have been illegally racing their cars for as long as there have been cars..how is that "passing"? Drifting is getting popular, but that has nothing to do with this thread at all, so I really have no idea why you even brought it up.

-Mark

 

[Takumi Fujiwara]

Cobraboy, lay off.

As for this, there's no way it'll be first degree murder. First degree murder requires that all be preplanned and that the intent is to kill.

At worst, it'll be reckless manslaughter. There was no intent to harm anyone, but the harm came from an action that the driver would have known was dangerous.

 

[Duke]

Originally posted by Cobraboy
It'll happen with drifting no doubt about it.

Agreed. And it is definitely relevant to this thread - street racing and drifting are both stupid forms of uncontrolled behaviour that have no place on public roadways.

 

[milefile]

one lady in a red civic hb had her window rolled down and said "thats what you ****ers get for street racing"

👍

 

[Hyroaki]

oh yeah, thumbs up because someone died. uh.... no Sure it was stupid, but hes still dead. Everyone makes his mistakes and his was fatal.

 

[milefile]

Originally posted by Hyroaki
Everyone makes his mistakes and his was fatal.

👍

 

[Driftster]

No where in the article does it say they were racing...The guy was gunning his car, speeding down a road isn't Racing...it's speeding down a road, don't blame the act of racing.

Agreed. And it is definitely relevant to this thread - street racing and drifting are both stupid forms of uncontrolled behaviour that have no place on public roadways.

As far as this statement goes, when I hear about someone drifting around cones in a parking lot dieing, or I hear about a driver die racing an 1/8 of a mile on a side street then go ahead and blame it...as far as i'm conserned going 200MPH on a freeway with someone else on your azz isn't street racing, it's asking for trouble.

my condolences go out to the victim, and my prayers are with the driver, I don't know why he got 1st degree, hopefully it'll be dropped to manslaughter and it probably will, but too bad none the less.

oh and by the way, that drifting comment was completly unnessicary, i've never heard of anyone trying to drift a corner at 100+ MPH, and if they DO they should wreck.

 

[Duke]

Originally posted by Driftster
No where in the article does it say they were racing...The guy was gunning his car, speeding down a road isn't Racing...it's speeding down a road, don't blame the act of racing.

Duh? Did you not see this?

I think the reason why this happened was that the guy in the Immola Red M3 wanted to beat the SMG Black M3, we all knew that he wasnt going to do it, the SMG M3 was just too fast, but then this guy was so determined to beat him, and he just couldnt do it, which resulted in him causing him to lose his car, someone else's life, and putting someone else in jeopardy.

As far as this statement goes, when I hear about someone drifting around cones in a parking lot dieing, or I hear about a driver die racing an 1/8 of a mile on a side street then go ahead and blame it...as far as i'm conserned going 200MPH on a freeway with someone else on your azz isn't street racing, it's asking for trouble.

1) Did I not say "on the public streets"? Is a parking lot a public street? No.

2) At least 7 people have been killed in Delaware - the second smallest state in the US - in the last 2 years, from 1/8 mile street racing accidents. I blame street racing.

3) Racing on the street is street racing, no matter how carefully you may choose to try to define it. We all agree that a BJ from Monica qualifies as "sex", no matter how much Clinton would like to pretend otherwise.

my condolences go out to the victim,

Mine do too. It should have been the driver that was killed. I have not the slightest, tiniest, most remote shred of pity for him.

oh and by the way, that drifting comment was completly unnessicary, i've never heard of anyone trying to drift a corner at 100+ MPH, and if they DO they should wreck.

Take your fingers out of your ears and open your eyes, then. Are you trying to be dense? Nobody said this guy was drifting at 100+ mph. We just said that the same kind of tragedy was guaranteed to befall street drifting as well. It is guaranteed.

To address your inane comment anyway, what is a "real" drifting speed? 40 mph? Consider some touge-runner-wannabe coming around a corner, sideways and wide, at 40 mph. There's a poor innocent car coming the other way at 40 mph - a reasonable and prudent speed, normally. WHAM. It's just as if the poor sap ran into a concrete wall head on at 80mph. Wanna try it in your car and see how you feel afterwards?

There. Is. Absolutely. No. Defense. For. Driving. Like. This. In. Public. None.

 

[19xx]

If you read further down in that forum, he's trying to make an exit, but understeered, hit a pole, and caught fire. It's in page 10.

Let's talk about the traffic laws. In CA these are called Vehicle codes and they're numbered inbetween sections. So far he violated:

22350 - Basic speed law. Driving in an unreasonable speed. Infraction.
22348 - speed excess of 100mph. Infraction
23103 - Reckless driving INTENTED to disregard safety. Jail between 5-90 days and/or fine of 500
23104 - Reckless driving with bodily injuries. Jail between 1-6 months and/or fine of 1,000
23109 - Speed contest (includes 23102 and -03). Jail between 1-90 days and or fine, license suspension for 90 days
23109.2 Further enforcement of speed contest. Arrest, impound vehicle.

Penal codes:
192c,193 Vehicular manslaughter, punishments

He didn't commited any felonies. That guy exaggerated a little too much. Plus it makes him look... irresponsible.

 

[TOYOTA FR3AK]

 

[Driftster]

Neon Duke...you're a moderator and you should act like one, not some immature little kid who holds some childish grudge...Be more mature about your responses, you're making the other mods look bad.
This is a tragedy not an availible time for you to make lude comments about someone else......Show some respect man.

 

[1X83Z]

Originally posted by Driftster
Neon Duke...you're a moderator and you should act like one, not some immature little kid who holds some childish grudge...Be more mature about your responses, you're making the other mods look bad.
This is a tragedy not an availible time for you to make lude comments about someone else......Show some respect man.

What parts of his statement were 'lude?'

Oh, and - could you define 'lude' for me, please?

 

[Sage]

Originally posted by Driftster
Neon Duke...you're a moderator and you should act like one, not some immature little kid who holds some childish grudge...Be more mature about your responses, you're making the other mods look bad.

Huh? What?

He made a statement, you disagreed with it and said why, the he made a rebuttal backed up with objective facts and sound reasoning. How on Earth is that immature, and how on Earth does it make "us" look bad? It's all part of a normal debate, and he followed the structure perfectly. On the other hand, you replied by calling him an immature little kid, which wouldn't have been so bad if you had included it amongst some objective facts and your own reasoning behind your rebuttal, but you, um, didn't...