Dragster's death toll remains at 6; Officials reconstructing crash scene
Published June 19, 2007
By Brant Sappington
Staff Writer

SELMER, Tenn. -- It took only moments for a high-powered drag-racing car to spin into the crowd and change dozens of lives forever, but investigators say it will take much longer for them to determine exactly what caused Saturday’s deadly crash during the Cars for Kids charity event in Selmer.

Six people are now confirmed dead and at least 20 injured after a drag-racing car performing a burnout demonstration during the annual children’s charity fundraiser lost control and tore through the crowd lining Mulberry Avenue in Selmer.

Investigators from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and other agencies have descended on Selmer in an effort to figure out what went wrong.

“We’ve put this at a very high priority in the state of Tennessee and we’ve brought significant resources in here,” said Tennessee Public Department of Public Safety Commissioner David Mitchell.

District Attorney General Michael Dunavant said the complex nature of the case means it will take time for investigators to piece together what happened. He said a decision on whether or not to bring criminal charges against the dragster’s driver, Troy Critchley of the AMS Racing Team, will not be made until the entire investigation is complete.

“This is somewhat of a complex matter. It was a complex scene. Many people were there. We are still in the midst of this ongoing investigation,” said Dunavant. “As soon as they can get that information to me, we’ll be making decisions about whether and what, if any, crime may be charged as a result of this.”

In a statement issued Monday, AMS Racing Team spokesperson William Reid said the driver and all members of the team are cooperating fully with investigators. He said Critchley voluntarily submitted blood to the Tennessee Highway Patrol for testing which confirmed he had no alcohol or drugs in his system. Critchley has not been arrested and has not been given any indication he will be charged.

“Mr. Critchley was signaled to start and he began to perform the burnout. After a straight start, the car skidded off the road. Mr. Critchley did everything humanly possible to keep the car on the road, but unfortunately, there was nothing he could do,” the statement read.

Reid said the team is in deep mourning and expressed their sympathy and condolences for the victims and their families.

Dunavant said his thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the families of those who were lost.

“We certainly want the people of Selmer and McNairy County to know that we are doing everything we can to address these issues regarding public safety and responsibility as well,” he said.

Mitchell said investigators will have all resources necessary to get to the bottom of what happened. They plan to call in outside experts to examine the highly complex race car.

“This is a very large scale investigation. It’s going to take some time. We want to do it thoroughly and we want to do it right so we can give the best results to the general (Dunavant) so he can make a determination of what actions if any should be taken,” said the public safety commissioner.

Selmer Police Chief Neal Burks described Saturday’s crash as a tragedy.
“It’s just been a safe event up until this year. We’ve had a tragic accident. It’s been so good up to this year and we just had this accident,” the police chief said.

Selmer Mayor David Robinson said he does expect to see changes in the event in the future, but hopes the good work done by Cars for Kids will continue.

“Certainly I hope the event continues, but in light of this tragic accident, certainly there will be other measures taken, but I see no reason that we cannot continue,” said Robinson.

Larry Price, who founded Cars for Kids in 1990, said he hoped to keep the charity going but has no plans to allow burnouts on public streets. Cars for Kids holds several similar events across the country and raises nearly $200,000 each year for charities that help children in need.

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