Questions raised over monster truck rally death in Tacoma Washington
A tragic accident that killed a 6-year-old boy and injured a man at a monster truck rally Friday night is raising questions about how the response was handled - and how it could have happened in the first place.The boy, identified as Sabastian Hizey of Puyallup, Wash., by the Pierce County Medical Examiner, died after being hit by metal debris that flew from a truck at the Monster Jam show at the Tacoma Dome.
The metal parts appeared to fly off the truck's driveline amid a burst of sparks as it roared past the stands where the boy was sitting.
A family member said the little boy was at the Monster Jam on a big family outing, and that he was having the time of his life before the accident - and that everything happened so quickly, he probably did not suffer.
But that didn't make the tragedy any easier for the family or for the people who were sitting nearby and saw the gruesome accident unfold before their eyes.
"One minute you're eating popcorn and screaming for the next guy to race. And then there's total tragedy," said Cori Barkey.
She witnessed the accident from a few rows away and is still haunted by what she saw - a little boy lying in the stands with a devastating injury, not moving, bleeding profusely, his family traumatized.
"It was just really sad. The parents had other little kids with them - they were screaming and crying. And the events staff was just standing there. It was really weird."The gruesome accident happened just after 10 p.m. Friday.
Witnesses said the red truck, dubbed the "Natural High," was driving in circles, and a spray of metal pieces came off of the truck and flew over a safety barrier. The pieces knocked the man off his feet and hit the boy in the head, causing them to bleed profusely.