Cars for Kids parade turns
deadly for spectators
Published June 17, 2007
By Kim Jobe
News Editor

SELMER, Tenn. - A weekend of fun and fund-raising turned deadly here Saturday afternoon when a race car careened out of control and ended up in a crowd of spectators.

As of 10 p.m., officials said four people had been confirmed dead and at least 15 had been injured. Many of those injured had been transported to various medical facilities including The Med in Memphis, Tenn., and Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. As many as four ambulance services from area counties were utilized to transport the injured.

The tragic accident happened around 6 p.m. during the popular parade of cars that is a highlight of the annual Cars For Kids fundraiser.

A drag racer, believed to have been a Corvette operated by a professional driver, was accelerating from a dead stop and “burning rubber” on Mulberry Avenue. According to eyewitness accounts, the driver appeared to have lost control shortly into the race, attempted to regain control, struck a pole along the roadway and then slid into the crowd of spectators.

In a press briefing held around 9 p.m. Selmer Police Chief Neal Burks offered as much information as he had available at the time.

Burks did not name the driver of the race car, but stated he was being questioned by officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

When asked if the accident was mechanical failure or driver error, Burks replied, “I have no idea.”

The chief went on to state that this was his eighth or ninth time to be a part of Cars for Kids and it was the only accident they’ve had in that time span.
“It’s terrible,” the chief said, solemnly.

Although there were guard rails up at the start of the drag race to help protect the spectators, there were no rails where the accident happened on Mullberry Avenue.

“It’s a tragic accident, but if it were car error or driver error I have no idea,” Burks said.

According to an Associated Press wire story, Matthew Brammer, administrator of AMS Pro Modified Series, which sanctions drag races, said late Saturday that the car involved has been driven by drag racer Troy Critchley, of Wylie, Texas, but he did not know if Critchley was driving when the car struck the crowd.

The AMS Pro Modified Series later issued a news release that did not identify the driver, but said he was a veteran of more than 20 years in drag racing and had to be taken to the emergency room.

The release said the driver was performing an ‘‘exhibition burnout’’ — spinning the tires to make them heat up and smoke — when road conditions caused the car to lose control, striking a utility pole and then veering into the crowd.

‘‘The race team is in shock and deeply saddened by this unexpected event. Their hearts and prayers are with the injured people and their families,’’ the release said.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol Critical Incident Response (CIR) team is also assisting with the investigation.

No identifications of any of the victims were available at press time.
Kasey Wilbanks, 19, of Kossuth had been at Cars for Kids all day. It was her first trip and likely could have been her last one had circumstances gone otherwise.

“The drag car had started and lost control,” Wilbanks recalled several hours after the accident. “He tried to straighten up but lost control and came flying sideways through the crowd.”

Wilbanks was among hundreds of people - mostly young people and children, she recalled - lining the roadway near the Selmer city park where the vehicles were preparing to drag race. Wilbanks said the vehicle came within “at least a foot” of where she was standing.

Several who were injured by the car had been standing near Wilbanks, she said. With her voice slightly breaking, Wilbanks added one of the people killed was standing right beside her, but wasn’t anyone she knew.
According to Wilbanks, sheer pandemonium broke out following the crash.
“Everybody started screaming and yelling and running,” Wilbanks said. “I took off running towards Sonic.”

Cars For Kids has traditionally been held around Father’s Day weekend for the past 18 years. The event, used to raise funds for various charities, was founded by Larry Price. Price organized Cars for Kids as his way of thanking God for saving the life of his then 12-year-old son, Chad Price, following a bicycle accident.

“I never thought Cars for Kids would do this well,” said Price in an interview earlier this week. “It has been unreal how many people come to help raise money for God’s special children.”

The remaining parts of the event for today have been canceled. In the past, an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 people have attended the weekend event each year.

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