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March 31, 2008 at
07:33:58 AM
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02/27/2005
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Ernie Saxton mentioned the following court case in Area Auto Racing News this week. Sounds like it is setting a very bad precedence thusfar, will have to wait and see how sentencing goes next month however.
Racer found guilty in speedway crashBy KRISTEN SENZ
Union Leader Correspondent
Friday, Mar. 21, 2008
NEWPORT – A Sullivan County Superior Court jury yesterday convicted a racecar driver of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon in connection with a 2006 crash at Twin State Speedway in Claremont. After a one-day trial and about five hours of deliberation, the jury found Robin Blake, 42, guilty of reckless conduct, a Class B felony. Blake slammed his car into the side of a car being driven by David Bly during a championship race at the Claremont track Sept. 8, 2006.
?Police: Stock car was deadly weapon
The crash caused a riotous uproar among spectators at the race, said Claremont police officer Shawn Hallock, who was at the scene and testified during Blake's trial on Wednesday.
"There were a couple hundred people in the pit," he said. "There was a rivalry within the families (of the two drivers) on the racing circuit."
Blake was originally charged with an additional felony, criminal mischief, but Assistant Sullivan County Attorney Dave Park said he removed that charge from the jury's consideration on Wednesday. Park said it took longer than he had expected for the jury to return a verdict, but that he believed it was "a pretty compelling case."
The verdict means the jury believed Blake ignored a "substantial and unjustifiable risk" that his conduct behind the wheel would result in the crash, Park said.
Neither driver was hurt in the crash. Bly testified against Blake during the trial. Park also called to the stand eyewitness Michael Griggs of Claremont, track owner Dennis Fleury of Claremont, who also witnessed the crash, Race Director and witness Michael Parks of Charlestown, and Hallock.
Attorney Nathan Lynch of Walpole represented Blake during the trial, but declined to comment on the case Wednesday.
Blake faces a maximum penalty of up to seven years in prison. He also could be ordered to pay restitution and other fines. A pre-sentence investigation is under way, Park said, and a sentencing hearing will probably be scheduled within a month.
unionleader.com
They don't even know how to spell sprint car
much less chromoly...http://www.ycmco.com
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March 31, 2008 at
10:37:02 AM
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11/29/2005
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1773
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Reply to:
Posted By: cubicdollars on March 31 2008 at 07:33:58 AM
Ernie Saxton mentioned the following court case in Area Auto Racing News this week. Sounds like it is setting a very bad precedence thusfar, will have to wait and see how sentencing goes next month however.
Racer found guilty in speedway crashBy KRISTEN SENZ
Union Leader Correspondent
Friday, Mar. 21, 2008
NEWPORT – A Sullivan County Superior Court jury yesterday convicted a racecar driver of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon in connection with a 2006 crash at Twin State Speedway in Claremont. After a one-day trial and about five hours of deliberation, the jury found Robin Blake, 42, guilty of reckless conduct, a Class B felony. Blake slammed his car into the side of a car being driven by David Bly during a championship race at the Claremont track Sept. 8, 2006.
?Police: Stock car was deadly weapon
The crash caused a riotous uproar among spectators at the race, said Claremont police officer Shawn Hallock, who was at the scene and testified during Blake's trial on Wednesday.
"There were a couple hundred people in the pit," he said. "There was a rivalry within the families (of the two drivers) on the racing circuit."
Blake was originally charged with an additional felony, criminal mischief, but Assistant Sullivan County Attorney Dave Park said he removed that charge from the jury's consideration on Wednesday. Park said it took longer than he had expected for the jury to return a verdict, but that he believed it was "a pretty compelling case."
The verdict means the jury believed Blake ignored a "substantial and unjustifiable risk" that his conduct behind the wheel would result in the crash, Park said.
Neither driver was hurt in the crash. Bly testified against Blake during the trial. Park also called to the stand eyewitness Michael Griggs of Claremont, track owner Dennis Fleury of Claremont, who also witnessed the crash, Race Director and witness Michael Parks of Charlestown, and Hallock.
Attorney Nathan Lynch of Walpole represented Blake during the trial, but declined to comment on the case Wednesday.
Blake faces a maximum penalty of up to seven years in prison. He also could be ordered to pay restitution and other fines. A pre-sentence investigation is under way, Park said, and a sentencing hearing will probably be scheduled within a month.
unionleader.com
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sounds like a racing feud and the cops have a favored driver. i like the part where they value the damage to the street stock car at $2000. lol. and that car won the race after it got hit. lol. this is a bad deal. it has the potential for others to try to file charges in retaliation.
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March 31, 2008 at
01:40:56 PM
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11/26/2004
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1355
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I don't have any problem with this verdict. It wasn't the crash during the race that brought on the charges. It was the attempt and crash that happened under caution. While I wouldn't think he was attempting to cause injury, it could happen. I'd bet a jury would find a driver guilty in the case almost every time.
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March 31, 2008 at
02:44:32 PM
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02/11/2007
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1163
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This message was edited on
March 31, 2008 at
02:47:58 PM by Rogue-9
I have a problem with it, because this will open the door for drivers to press charges anytime a driver is upset about another driver's conduct. This will set a precedent that other court's will have to follow and that would be real bad for the sport. If this happens again, I think that tracks would have to adopt rules against such lawsuits in order to ensure drivers don't start suing each other. Even if this verdict is warranted in this particular case, the door will be opened for more frivolous charges. Imagine waht racing would be like if all the drivers are afraid of criminal penalties. This would be the courts acting like NASCAR and making the drivers afraid of doing anything "wrong".
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March 31, 2008 at
03:14:18 PM
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01/06/2005
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1872
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I wonder if any "ambulance chasing" lawyers saw what Kenseth did yesterday at Martinsville - here's their legal precedent... ;)
Phil Taylor
home-theater-systems-advice.com
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March 31, 2008 at
09:44:11 PM
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03/30/2007
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This article should be mandatory reading for Brian Brown...!!! Someone please forward this article to him...
My heros have always been cowboys!!!
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April 01, 2008 at
12:00:45 AM
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I still think a cop should have arrested Kurt Busch last year when he slide up next to Stewart and about hit his crew member. On the track and a "racing deal" is alot different than off the track or not in a race. Just cause you are in a race doesn't mean you can get away with murder. And what Kurt did last year by sliding op on Stewart's crew member on PURPOSE, and OFF track was use of deadly weapon. Just cause you are in the race car doesn't mean you can start hitting the throttle and mowing people over in the pits like it is legal as long as you are in the race car. Crew member who had nothing to do with the on track BS VS. 3000lbs race car coming at you at around 50mph and you having ot jump on the hood to avoid being hit.
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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.
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April 01, 2008 at
07:59:46 AM
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This makes an interesting point ! I can remember being in the courtroom and observing the jurors that "decided" the out come of Wolfgang's lawsuit against Lakeside Speedway,WOO and the leasees of the track.NOT ONE JUROR HAD EVER BEEN TO A RACETRACK OR KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT AUTO RACING .Anyone with that kind of experience would have been excused from the panel of jurors ! It is the way of things when you bring legal action that results in a courtroom trial.
It is a frightening prospect for auto racing,indeed !
Bud's Bride
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April 01, 2008 at
01:11:41 PM
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You would have thought our governments and courts would have enough to do. Race tracks are closed "off-road" courses, the rules should be determined by the facility and the sanctioning bodies and they should be left to govern themselves. The last thing in the world we need are a bunch of people, looking out for interests that do not parallel those of racers, owners, sanctioning bodies, or fans, that know absolutely nothing about the sport and it's origins, dictating it's future. If someone is being completely out of line or dangerous, they should be subject to the penalties of the sanctioning body or track. That way, they are the ones being penalized and it is there livelihood and lifestyle (if they race for a living) they are putting in jeopardy, not the sport itself. My $.02
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