San Felipe 250 accident brings tragedy and questions for off-road racing
By the time they realized the danger, it was too late: the childhood friends were killed instantly on a warm Saturday afternoon last month at this rugged and unpopulated spot southeast of
But their companions say that what happened next has compounded the tragedy: The
"People were saying, 'Don't take them, where are you taking them?' " said
There was little doubt as to the racing team's identity. Photographs from the scene showed the "Terrible Herbst" Trophy Truck with the number 91. In a video interview before the race,
Off-road racing is a decades-old tradition in
"It's more than races, it's a culture for Baja California," said
But last month's incident has underscored the sport's inherent dangers -- both to drivers and spectators -- and the need both for clearer rules and rapid response from law enforcement authorities when incidents occur.
A proposed regulation that would delineate responsibilties for the public's safety in off-road races has languished in draft form for two years without approval by the state legislature, said Antonio Rosquillas, the state's civil protection chief.
Within urban areas, the draft rules assigns responsibility for ensuring safety to the racers, race promoters and the municipal authorities.
But "out in the desert, in the mountains, it is up to the public to respond," said Rosquillas. "When you know there's a race with vehicles going at 100 miles per hour, you have to look for a safe place where you wouldn't be hurt if a vehicle leaves the road."
Those familiar with off-road racing in
"Locals try to touch the race cars as they go by, or they'll get way under a hole and have the trucks jump over them," said
"We've always criticized this, people who go to the races, walk onto the race course, take photos, leading to accidents," said
The Delgado brothers had been among a group of seven spectators -- six men and an 11-year-old boy -- that included the two victims.
Coronado, 39, was a schoolteacher, who played soccer, loved traditional Mexican folk dancing and lived with his parents in
On the morning of
The group set up camp about 30 feet from the course, and prepared lunch. Though several members of the group had been drinking beer, consumption had been moderate, Delgado said; Coronado, who was the designated driver, had not been drinking at all.
While the rest remained behind at the picnic area, Coronado and Padilla stepped close to the course, standing roughly a yard away, Delgado said. "When a vehicle passed, they took pictures," he said. Fearing for their safety, "I told them, come back, don't stay there," Delgado said.
As the Terrible Herbst Trophy truck approached, it hit a large rock and lost control, causing a nearby group to scatter. Veering off the course, the truck initially headed straight for the spot where Delgado, his son, and three other members of the group had been standing.
But it then made a sudden turn, Delgado said, skidding in the direction of Coronado and Padilla, spraying them with dirt before slamming into them, and killing them on the spot, he said. The driver and his co-pilot were unaware of what had just happened when their vehicle came to a stop by some bushes just off the track, Delgado said.
He said said some ten minutes had gone by -- the brother said no more than 20 minutes -- when they watched as members of Herbst team arrived in pickups, and quickly drove off with the two racers. As they were being taken away the driver "was crying,"
Still in shock from the accident, the Delgados then watched as a man got into the Trophy Truck, and drove it away, despite members of the crowd telling him not to move it.
The area did not have cellphone coverage, and it was impossible to call for help. When police did not arrive,
State investigators arrived on the scene about an hour after the incident, "but they just took statements and left," Delgado said; it wasn't until after
More than a month later, Delgado said he does not blame the driver for the accident, but for leaving the scene. He also blames "our police system that did not arrest them" for doing so, and allowed them to get away.
"They killed people, they didn't kill animals, why did they flee," asked Rosa Edelia Arroyo Ceseña,
As in
But Rosquillas, the civil protection chief, said that there can be extenuating circumstances in remote areas, where it can take a long time for authorities to respond, and racers involved in an accidents can become targets of angry spectators. In those cases, "I would go to the nearest police station and report the incident," Rosquillas said. "The driver should show that he has no intention of evading the law," he said.
Drivers are instructed to make contact with SCORE officials, but in remote areas where there is neither phone nor radio reception -- as was the case in last month's accident -- "you need to go to the first area where you have contact," Farner said.
In a statement sent late Friday,
The statement said that
According to SCORE, the family members of the two victims have been contacted by legal representatives of the race team, and were expected to meet with them again this week.
SCORE has not confirmed that
Repeated to efforts to reach the Herbst team, or its representatives, were unsuccessful. Messages left at the family's
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