California 200

[TacoMEDIC]

This call went down on 8/14/10, but i am new here so I figure it's better late than never.

It made National Headlines, so some of you may have already heard about it.


I was working with an event safety company for the MDR California 200 Night Race, a race that involves full size race trucks and buggies. The race was set to start at 1930hrs and we were pulling in right as it was getting started. I was hoping to get some sleep because I had just gotten off of a 96 hour shift at my primary job. My partner was all gung-ho and stated that he hoped that something serious would go down so he would get to play. I wish he never said that.

We show up at the start line to get comms all squared away and MDR officials tell us to wait until they get all the race vehicles off the line. No 5 minutes later we have the same race official come running up to the ambulance (because we have no comms yet) screaming at the top of his lungs that a race truck has just rolled into the crowd at the "rock pile" ( an area of the course that i have known to be pretty dense with spectators from past experience).

We haul *** toward the incident when I have a buddy call me on my personal phone screaming, "get here quick, man! there are people everywhere!". I asked for a little clarification and dig for some more constructive info so I can start some resources. No luck.

We get on scene 8 minutes later and just as my buddy stated... bodies everywhere. Absolute chaos. I'd love to rattle off a bunch of specifics, but it was kinda a blur from there. I called Comms Center and asked, "how many helicopters do you have withing a 100 mile radius?". After getting a baffled response, I added, "Send all of them!". 10 airships on the way.

We had 17 immediates, 24 delayed, and 4 DOA... not sure how many minor. Our nearest Trauma Center is 2-1/2 hours by ground. Nearest ER is 1 hour by ground. Nearest ground resource is 45 mins. No bueno. It doesnt matter how many MCI videos you watch, nothing works when you have 500 spectators yelling at you to help their friends and family and no PD to help with crowd control... Triage triage triage... that's all you can do.

When additional resources arrived, 2 more pts had deceased. I started delegating pts to responders and relinquished command to the Capt. Then it was treat treat treat, load pts to helicopters and ground ambulances and try to remember what the hell happened for reporting.

It took a little over 3 hours to get all pts transported. Total death toll was 8 by the end of the night. It was a mess. The media didn't help. And how tough you think you are, CISM is worth it...

Sorry I couldn't elaborate more. Official report will be coming out in JEMS soon. If you have any other questions, I'll be more than happy to ask.

-Matt

 

[rachelrescue]

wow...

I'm sure that was a very traumatic experience for you, but it sounds like you handled it very well. I just got hired on with a company out of Los Angeles that does IFTs but of course I would love to do 911. What company do you work for?

 

[clibb]

Props to you for calling for air evac right away. Some people will wait.

In the town I work in we get a lot of mass accidents since the intersections are so hard to control after and accident. You're right, no movie or exercise can prepare you for when :censored::censored::censored::censored: hits the fan.

Good job controlling the accident though!

 

[TacoMEDIC]

I'm sure that was a very traumatic experience for you, but it sounds like you handled it very well. I just got hired on with a company out of Los Angeles that does IFTs but of course I would love to do 911. What company do you work for?

I work for several companies.

Baker EMS (Baker and Needles, CA) Very Rural. All 911. -Paramedic

Impulse Ambulance (North Hollywood, CA) IFTs and Events. -Paramedic Coordinator

Symons Event Safety (San Bernardino, CA) Events. Company I was working for on this call. -Paramedic

M.O.R.E. (Mojave Offroad Racing Enthusiasts) Event Safety. - Paramedic

 

[rwik123]

Sounds crazy. Do you work for a company that was contracted for the race? And were you in a bus? Or your povs?

Good call on the hems.

 

[TacoMEDIC]

Props to you for calling for air evac right away. Some people will wait.

In the town I work in we get a lot of mass accidents since the intersections are so hard to control after and accident. You're right, no movie or exercise can prepare you for when :censored::censored::censored::censored: hits the fan.

Good job controlling the accident though!

Thanks. I figured the MOI was significant enough that many of the 40+ pts may not live long enough to get to a TC by ground. Blunt traumas have a way of turning for the worse in a hurry. Calling for multiple airships at the time of the initial size-up/ first order for additional resources only seemed logical.

 

[TacoMEDIC]

Sounds crazy. Do you work for a company that was contracted for the race? And were you in a bus? Or your povs?

Good call on the hems.

I was working for the contracted company. We were on an ALS 4x4 van conversion Ambulance.

Thanks

 

[rachelrescue]

I work for several companies.

Baker EMS (Baker and Needles, CA) Very Rural. All 911. -Paramedic

Impulse Ambulance (North Hollywood, CA) IFTs and Events. -Paramedic Coordinator

Symons Event Safety (San Bernardino, CA) Events. Company I was working for on this call. -Paramedic

M.O.R.E. (Mojave Offroad Racing Enthusiasts) Event Safety. - Paramedic

I have to admit, I'm jealous! Seems like a whole lot of driving...but you're actually making a difference.

 

[TacoMEDIC]

I have to admit, I'm jealous! Seems like a whole lot of driving...but you're actually making a difference.

My biggest advice is don't ever turn down an opportunity to work anywhere in EMS, especially with the way the market is in So Cal right now. Never quit looking for opportunities to better yourself or your situation. You'll get there. I am a strong believer in good things coming to those who work hard.

 

[Tyler Bruns]

I don't come on this site often but I just happened to check this forum today...

I was also on the scene with you. I was one of the spectating EMT's there watching the race and was even set to do lap #4 in a 1400 truck. Me and a large group of my race team, including a buddy and myself who are EMT's, went to the rockpile to watch our teams trucks go by. I was only yards away from were the truck ended up in the crowd. We lost 2 team members that night. I'm sure you saw some me and my other team mates there providing aid. We were wearing bright green GFO racing pit shirts.

 

[beandip4all]

My biggest advice is don't ever turn down an opportunity to work anywhere in EMS, especially with the way the market is in So Cal right now. Never quit looking for opportunities to better yourself or your situation. You'll get there. I am a strong believer in good things coming to those who work hard.

i <3 this quote. particularly because i teach a job hunting seminar to emt-b students, and it neatly sums up a few key points that i try to drive home to those students. may i quote you on it?

regardless, thank you for this writeup, Taco!

 

[TacoMEDIC]

i <3 this quote. particularly because i teach a job hunting seminar to emt-b students, and it neatly sums up a few key points that i try to drive home to those students. may i quote you on it?

regardless, thank you for this writeup, Taco!

Absolutely. And thank you.

 

[TacoMEDIC]

I don't come on this site often but I just happened to check this forum today...

I was also on the scene with you. I was one of the spectating EMT's there watching the race and was even set to do lap #4 in a 1400 truck. Me and a large group of my race team, including a buddy and myself who are EMT's, went to the rockpile to watch our teams trucks go by. I was only yards away from were the truck ended up in the crowd. We lost 2 team members that night. I'm sure you saw some me and my other team mates there providing aid. We were wearing bright green GFO racing pit shirts.

I saw your team there. There were several off-duty EMS personnel at the event. It was a great team effort. Thanks for your help.

 

[Tyler Bruns]

I saw your team there. There were several off-duty EMS personnel at the event. It was a great team effort. Thanks for your help.

I was surprised by the amount of EMS personnel there. I remember multiple EMT's, a couple Medics, and even a Army Combat Medic who was at the race on leave.

Do you know when the JEMS report is supposed to be coming out? Do know know anything about what its going to be about?

 

[TacoMEDIC]

I was surprised by the amount of EMS personnel there. I remember multiple EMT's, a couple Medics, and even a Army Combat Medic who was at the race on leave.

Do you know when the JEMS report is supposed to be coming out? Do know know anything about what its going to be about?

I'm not sure when it will be coming out. I was interviewed by a Loma Linda MC ER Doc that was working that night. He is writing the report. It will be about MCIs and rural trauma patients.

 

[firetender]

To Everyone Involved;

One of the toughest.

Chaos such as this has no order. It sounds like further harm was minimized and the inevitable dealt with as best possible. There's nothing more that could be asked for except for you to keep talking to each other; you've shared an experience few get to understand. The only ones who can help you (if you're going through very human reactions) is each other. You start with making it real, the human aspect, that is.

Sometimes "I was just doing my job." is a lie.

 

[Tyler Bruns]

To Everyone Involved;

One of the toughest.

Chaos such as this has no order. It sounds like further harm was minimized and the inevitable dealt with as best possible. There's nothing more that could be asked for except for you to keep talking to each other; you've shared an experience few get to understand. The only ones who can help you (if you're going through very human reactions) is each other. You start with making it real, the human aspect, that is.

Sometimes "I was just doing my job." is a lie.

This is pretty much what I said to my friends that I worked side by side with that night and, also, to those who witnessed it. So 100% true. Only people that have been through this type of incident understand.

Sometimes "I was just doing my job." is a lie

To this part, I don't know what made me stay at the accident scene and help while so many were literally running away. The only thing I can think of is that my training just kicked in and I did what I knew had to be done.

Also- Kudo's for TacoMEDIC and his coworkers for arriving on scene, and doing so much in a horrible situation. Words can't describe how relieved I was to see that first ambulance arrive on scene. Even though things were far from over it was a big moral boost.

 

[TacoMEDIC]

Hey all. I just revisited this thread after more than a year. Here is the report that ended up in JEMS in May, 2011:

Mojave Desert Racing:

On Aug. 14, an off-road rally race was just about to get underway. Starting at 7:30 p.m., the California 200 was a 200-mile, off-road rally race in the Lucerne Valley of the Mojave Desert in Southern California. The start/finish line was located approximately 125 miles from Los Angeles (225 miles from Las Vegas) by ground. The race was scheduled to be four 50-mile loops with a 7.5-hour time limit.

The race was part of the Mojave Desert Racing (MDR) series, an off-road racing body that organizes a series of rally-style, off-road races in Southern California. Although organizationally unrelated to SCORE, the vehicles in the races are similar to those that race in the Baja 1000. This race had around 100 entries.

On-site medical support was provided by Symons Event Safety, a regional provider of medical care for large spectator events ranging from concerts, arena sports and races, including NASCAR. One ALS ambulance, staffed by two paramedics, was positioned at the start/finish line. The nearest community hospital was 34 miles from the starting line, or about 45 minutes by ground, and the nearest trauma centers were 30 minutes away by helicopter.

The Incident:

Unique to these off-road races is the lack of barriers along the course. Although spectator instructions had specified that bystanders should stay beyond 100 feet from the course, there was no effective enforcement, and people were able to come within feet of speeding vehicles.

Approximately 10 minutes after the first vehicle left the starting line, a modified Ford Ranger competing in the race hit a popular rise called “The Rock Pile.”

As it hit, the truck appeared to lose control and drifted to the side so that when it landed askew, it quickly rolled off to the side and into spectators along the barrier-less, off-road course.

The ALS ambulance immediately called for support from nearby ground fire and EMS. The event ambulance arrived on scene about seven minutes after the crash. They found four patients dead on arrival, including one spectator who had been decapitated. They called for 14 medical helicopters and began triaging more than 20 patients.

Paramedics began treating two of the most critically injured patients, who unfortunately died prior to the arrival of any transport units. Off-duty medics watching the race assisted with placing patients on backboards and treating them. This bystander assistance proved to be a help and a hindrance. More patients were able to be treated, but there was no organization. The only ambulance was quickly pillaged of supplies. Ground support arrived about 30 minutes after the initial call.

Helicopters from three states—California, Nevada and Arizona—responded, including a military crew from Fort Irwin. They arrived on scene about 40 minutes after the accident occurred. Ten patients were transported by air to trauma centers. Two of those patients later died from injuries. Other unknown patients self-triaged to hospitals by private vehicle. In total, eight spectators died.

The race took place on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) property, and California Highway Patrol and BLM investigations of the accident continues. Further Mojave Desert Races have currently been suspended pending these investigations.

Safety remains the unquestioned focus of MDR and BLM, as evidenced by the event’s 15-year history. MDR has already begun strict enforcement of speed and distance regulations, as well as prominent designation of safety fencing. BLM will grant permits only to events that can adhere to strict criteria, as well as improving pre-event coordination and on-scene presence.

Logistically, having dual paramedic teams or two mixed EMT-B/paramedic units for the event allows for simultaneous triage and treatment, and initiation of the incident command system (ICS) system with resource allocation. Most importantly, this incident underscores the importance of incorporating MCI training into continuing education programs.

Joshua Bobko, MD, EMT-T, is the current EMS fellow at Loma Linda University Medical Center. He responded to this incident.

The complete report is available here:

http://www.jems.com/article/ems-special-operations/ems-providers-care-orv-racers

 

[mycrofft]

Any words about the interface between groundlings and helos? Or air traffic control?


Was there radio between ground and aircraft, and who had it?
Were there predesignated helo pads or were they improvised?
What do you see doing differently in all aspects to prepare for such an event in the future?
Would the presence of a "hardshell" (preexistent) austere medical facility with electricity and commo been of use? Secured prestaged medical supplies?

We have a big off-road event area near us, Prairie City, which seems very rural but is about ten miles or less from a non-trauma center hospital; those are a winding, two lane ten miles though.

 

[Akulahawk]

Prairie City seems rural but they're very close to the urban area of the City of Folsom. Mutual Aid from Sac Metro Fire and El Dorado County units is easy. The problem is that ground transport from Prairie City can take a while. Once clear of the twisty roads, transport to the L1 Trauma Center only takes a few minutes. An incident like the one in this thread would quickly overwhelm them. The other two L2 TC's are another 10-15 minutes away. There are lots of other facilities that can handle the overflow that are closer, but they would have to be the lower acuity patients.

Air resources are actually pretty good. Within 20 minutes (assuming none are busy), 4 helos could be overhead. Within 40 minutes, add another 2 or 3. Within an hour, add in probably another 4 or 5. Throw in the National Guard and CHP Rescue Helos and there could be another 3-4 available, but timetable on that could be longer.

Fortunately, Prairie City has yet to have an incident of that magnitude. I hope they never do...