Posted on 01/26/2008 10:13:45 PM PST by dayglored
(CNN) -- Five young men died Saturday when the car they were in drove off the end of a private airstrip near Ocala, Florida, became airborne for 200 feet and slammed into an oak tree, authorities said.
"This had to be the worst vehicle crash that I have ever seen during my career," said Randy Robinson, a spokesman for the Emergency Medical Services Alliance with 27 years on the job.
The 2008 BMW was split in two in the wreck, which happened at 3:45 a.m., said Lt. Mike Burroughs, a spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol Troop B.
He told CNN the victims -- 18 to 20 years old and all from the area -- were declared dead at the scene.
Burroughs said it was not clear how the car got onto the private Greystone community airstrip -- the same one actor John Travolta uses for his aircraft -- but the car was driving north on Runway 36, which is 1.5 miles long.
"It is evident that the driver of the vehicle saw he was approaching the end of the runway," Burroughs said. "He attempted a braking maneuver and the vehicle slid sideways off the end of the runway."
The car flew through the air for 200 feet, he said, and struck an oak tree 15 feet off the ground, splitting the vehicle in two.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Now THERE is a displaced threshold!
Add this to the tiger attack at the zoo in which a young teenager was mauled to death after getting g drunk and teasing an animal that could eat him.
I do feel bad for them though. If every teenage male got killed when he did something stupid, we would be extinct. I know I did my share when I was young.
I think there’s a complication in that going up the embankment would have launched the car skyward from the 85 foot level.
Well, that's a big 'Duh!' on my part. You're right they 'went off' the embankment rather then 'went up' it.
They could have hit the building at the end of the runway. It’s about 200 ft from the edge of the tarmac.
Oops. That link was useless. Mea culpa.
Ooops.....I thought the link would be to the zoomed in photo of the big house with the pool and jet liner to the right of the airstrip.
The thing is tragic. I am going to call my son.
Is there any word yet as to who the victims are/were?
I have no idea - I just wanted to call my own kid, who is in college, and had nothing to do with this tragic occurance.
Thank God.
Mile-and-a-half. Travolta flies his 707 off this strip.
They had plenty of time to get up to speed.
Where does Travolta keep his 707? Where does anybody park their plane?
I don't see a taxi strip, an apron or any hangars in evidence.
Ever seen the show Top Gear? It wouldn’t surprise me if these kids were trying to emulate it.
No, doubt that.
UPDATE:
Video - http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid294382118/bctid1392485027
It appears that the kids were simply going for a top speed run and didn’t brake until far too late.
Vehicle appears to be a 2008 BMW M5, as listed here: http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=111545
I wasn’t joking in the slightest. “Poor dumb kids” isn’t a joke— I am lucky the same sort of thing didn’t happen to me, because I was involved in multiple idiotic acts as a teen, and I can only hope my children get through their years unscathed, because I’m sure they’re going to do completely stupid things, despite all warnings to the contrary.
More likely that way actually. Sliding sideways, even a small bump and flip a car over. It's happened at low-speed-almost-nothing-ever-breaks autocross (solo 2) events, one time to a BMW in fact.
Yup
“everybody that did NOT do stooooopid things in High School, raise your hands.”
Ya, I thought so.
Me include3d.
Still nt a joking matter - esp for the parents. Maybe being a grandpa does that to you...
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