INJURY | PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER | PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY | INJURIES

Touting his show’s safety record, the monster truck show promoter told a news reporter, “I wish I had a big piece of wood to knock on right now, but we have not had an incident besides a gal slipping in the aisleway at another location.” Just days later, the promoter, George Eisenhart, stepped out in front of a vehicle during one of his shows and was crushed to death. Combine this incident with the story of a child killed by flying debris at another similar show, and you have a good reason to take a look at this bizarre, uniquely American, and dangerous sport.

Imagine for a minute that you are an alien from outer space or even a visitor from another country. You step into an arena for a monster truck rally and see thousands of dollars worth of auto parts intentionally battered, broken, and crushed. Likely, this display of expensive destruction would likely confuse you, maybe enrage you. Yes, monster truck rallies are akin to eating contests-resources once precious considered precious are turned into mere fodder for entertainment. In eating contests, it’s the guy who loses it first that gets the most oohs and ahs. In monster truck rallies, it’s the once-valuable car that makes the biggest boom.

When cars collide during normal, everyday life, we are terrified by it, even thrown into shock by it. But when these crashes are choreographed between larger-than-life monster trucks with tires bigger than apartment buildings and piles of broken down automobiles, it suddenly becomes theatre. Millions of dollars are paid annually for these shows, for the thrill of seeing thousands of pounds of steel and rubber slam into and crush one another. In all fairness, a lot of preparation and care goes into making these events as safe for spectators as possible.

However, that is not to say that we should be surprised when fatal accidents occur at these shows. After all, when you’re talking about hurling massive machines together at high speeds, you’ve got to expect that something is going to be a little off. A piece may fly off here. A truck may hit a ramp at the wrong angle there. With all of that weight flying in the wrong direction, sooner or later, someone will get hurt or killed. If anything, these most recent stories are a wake-up call: you can’t really play games with monster trucks.