A monster truck show at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia (VA) took a turn for the worse when one of the trucks ran over the announcer of the show.
The announcer, Ken Dickenson, is being treated at the University of Virginia Medical Center but there’s no word as to how bad his injuries are. Considering the size and sheer power of a monster truck, the chances of serious injury are higher than average.
The question everyone seems to be asking is, “How could something like this happen?” No definitive answer has been provided. It appears there was miscommunication, poor coordination, and possibly even negligence among the management at JPJ Arena.
Shawn Metcalf, one of the spectators at the event, said JPJ management should make safety a top priority. “What they should do is make some changes and implement a safety program, get some help from the outside or whatever to come up with some solutions and ideas that would prevent it from future problems,” according to dailyprogess.com.
Sadly, this isn’t the first time a monster truck accident has occurred. In fact, these types of accidents have resulted in tragic consequences. A promoter was killed after a monster truck ran over him in Madison, Wisconsin back in January of 2009, according to CNN. In addition, a six-year-old boy was killed by debris during a monster truck show in Tacoma, Washington.
There needs to be some type of safety oversight at these events. Suffering a loss of life or serious injuries at a monster truck show is unacceptable.