Was this an unsafe tractor pull? September 09, 2019 06:04AM
Watch the class below, specifically the pass at the 5:00 mark.
Look at the reaction of the fans in the moments before the rear tire hit the concrete barrier.

Regardless of the fact that nobody was hurt and the sanctioning body is one of the oldest in the sport, I have to ask the question: Was this a fundamentally unsafe pull for the spectators sitting on the pit side based on the setup? What would a liability insurance rep say?

video: [youtu.be]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/2019 06:06AM by The Original Michael.
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Re: Stirring the pot a little more September 09, 2019 06:20AM
The link was for a PPL member state. However, on the NTPA side, how many more people bring lawn chairs to BG?

My concern is tires bounce. What if the rear tire had a little more bounce or hit at a different angle? What about a front tire? Even if not as massive as a rear tire, a front tire bouncing over a concrete barrier could be just as lethal.

While my primary question was about safety of the event, a secondary question: Should tethers be required at all levels for PPL/NTPA/Outlaws for both front and rear tires?

Some may say this is an overreaction to something that didn't happen, but I say it only takes one time, then a lawsuit. If the scenario could have been foreseen (hint: if can. I just laid it out), and the sanctioning body did not have rules that address it, the liability insurance may deny a claim for negligence. For sure, rates would skyrocket.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/2019 06:42AM by The Original Michael.
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Re: Stirring the pot a little more September 09, 2019 08:20AM
kicked this around 6-7 yrs ago,when a wheel came off a ss at gordy
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Re: Stirring the pot a little more September 09, 2019 08:22AM
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patches
kicked this around 6-7 yrs ago,when a wheel came off a ss at gordy
I remember that, was there that night, Whitworth in LSS. Rear tire bounced and dented wall of building about a dozen feet off the ground.
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Re: Stirring the pot a little more September 09, 2019 03:19PM
Quote
The Original Michael

kicked this around 6-7 yrs ago,when a wheel came off a ss at gordy
I remember that, was there that night, Whitworth in LSS. Rear tire bounced and dented wall of building about a dozen feet off the ground.
Do you remember this?[www.youtube.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/10/2019 02:27AM by Supertiquer.
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Re: Stirring the pot a little more September 10, 2019 04:47AM
Quote
Supertiquer

Do you remember this?[www.youtube.com]

No, but I do remember this. They were lucky nobody was injured or worse.video: [youtu.be]
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Re: Stirring the pot a little more September 10, 2019 01:28PM
Quote
The Original Michael


Do you remember this?[www.youtube.com]

No, but I do remember this. They were lucky nobody was injured or worse.[youtu.be]

Oh and I was there at that one also. But I wasn't at this one.
[www.youtube.com]
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Re: Stirring the pot a little more September 09, 2019 04:36PM
So you're honestly going to sit there and say that nobody would have gotten hurt if that thing would have missed the barrier? What do you think would have happened at Louisville if that one would have hit the camera guy are 6 people sitting there with nowhere to go?
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Re: Was this an unsafe tractor pull? September 09, 2019 09:44AM
At the risk of boring the crap out of people, insurance companies rely upon actuarial tables to set a risk. It's a statistical model. Based on the number of runs vs a payout for a pulling tire on the loose, I reckon they want to keep making money on premiums given no one (that I can recall) has been hurt by a loose tire (limited to pulling, I am aware of drag racing & circle track incidents to the contrary inclusive of the drastic speed differentials involved).

Was this an unsafe situation? I say no. Was it unfortunate? Yes. Was it likely to hurt someone? No. Should the circumstances and the intimacy the fans of this sport so enjoy be altered by this non-event? No.

CP
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Re: Was this an unsafe tractor pull? September 09, 2019 01:12PM
There is an assumed risk to watching motorsports. If you don't want to be hit by a loose tire, move faster...
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Re: Was this an unsafe tractor pull? September 10, 2019 01:41AM
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punisher....
There is an assumed risk to watching motorsports. If you don't want to be hit by a loose tire, move faster...

No, there isn't. If (when) a spectator gets injured or killed someday when a bouncing tire goes over a concrete barricade into a crowd sitting in lawn chairs, no judge or jury is going to tell a grieving family "you should have moved faster."

In fact, lawyers will line up to take their case, especially when the incident could have been foreseen and a tether could have prevented it.
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Re: Was this an unsafe tractor pull? September 10, 2019 02:19AM
So what, all promoters have to install steel fences that we all have to sit behind? Or we have to sit 100' away? Of all the tractor pulls this happens maybe once a season, probably less. There is still line drive foul balls flying into the stands at baseball stadiums, and people get hit multiple time per year, yet people keep sitting in those seats. There is absolutely an assumed risk in everything in life. I have never heard anyone seriously injured by a loose tire at a tractor pull in the HISTORY OF TRACTOR PULLING!! If a freak accident happens insurance will pay, that's what it's for, but almost no one in the crowd would be in favor of ruining the viewing experience for the off chance that something could happen. Flying pieces from cast flywheels, is a safety issue that warranted action. This is a silly discussion.
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Re: Was this an unsafe tractor pull? September 09, 2019 02:04PM
This is where the light pro guys start arguing for component chassis.....this would never happened if they didn’t have to use extreme measures to get a little weight on the front end...
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Re: Was this an unsafe tractor pull? September 10, 2019 04:30AM
If the tire was moving faster it would have bounced up over the wall and the results would have been tragic as there were many people sitting in lawn chairs with virtually no time to react. There would have not been time to "Move Faster". Thank God no one was hurt. Maybe it is time to look at wheel tethers and make them work some way. I was there when this happened 8 rows back, standing and getting ready to run.
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Re: Was this an unsafe tractor pull? September 11, 2019 01:59AM
The safety basics for pulling are a " no mans" land between edge of track and the beginning of a positive barrier.
Wheel tethers are NOT recommended for pulling. I spent time with this issue in a number of motorsports including Monster Trucks. Pulling has the unique feature of having a sled AND running at a "slower" speed.
The possibility that a "tethered" wheel and tire assembly would end up UNDER the tractor and/or sled.
The possibility that the tethered assembly would slow down and "direct" the vehicle and the sled in a direction that might cause a more devastating results.

Motor sports due have an implied risk for competitors and spectators.

Distance and a positive barrier(s) are the standard of safety.
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Re: Was this an unsafe tractor pull? September 11, 2019 08:13AM
no one mentioned the fan laying on the ground(ok sitting,still no ability to move),spectators complain when told to stay back.More speed,less vehicle weight more power,-- just waiting for a "BAD DAY" !!!!!!!
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