Johnny Benson (reigning NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion) was hospitalised after his car collided with another car (driven by Larry Lehnert) before bursting into flames in an International SuperModified Association (ISMA) 50-lap race at the Berlin Raceway (nr Grand Rapids, Michigan) on Saturday 13th June.
Although Benson was taken to hospital (with reported burns and broken ribs) he was discharged three days later and is expected to make a full recovery, Lehnert was not injured in the crash.
A collision between two cars (driven by Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards) at a NASCAR race led to Edwards’ car crashing into perimeter fencing on the final lap of the Sprint Cup Series Aaron’s 449 race at the Talladega Superspeedway (Alabama) on Sunday 26th April.
Seven spectators were struck by flying debris from the collision and suffered non-life-threatening minor injuries (including a suspected broken jaw and minor contusions / fractures). An additional spectator sitting in the same grandstand also suffered chest pains after she had witnessed the incident (possible primary psychiatric damage anyone?), while Edwards himself was able to jog from his car across the finishing line.
According to both a NASCAR official (Jim Hunter) and the medical director of the track (Dr. Bobby Lewis), it was not possible to say with any certainty whether the pieces of debris came from Edwards’ car or from the fence that absorbed the impact, what is important though is that the retaining fence stayed intact and kept the wreckage of the car on the race track. Without this fence, there is no doubt that the injuries could have been fatal.
Who’d have thought that drunk riding was so popular? You wait all year for a drunken horse-riding case and three come along at the same time!
In Cody (Wyoming), 28-year old Benjamin Daniels was charged with public intoxication after slowly riding a white horse along a street during a snowstorm. Police said he was a road hazard.
The same month, when 31-year old Maxine Wiltshire was riding her horse around Hemel Hempstead (UK), her horse lost a shoe. Unable to ride him back to the stables, Ms Wiltshire called a relative to pick her up in a trailer. While she was waiting however, she proceeded to drink two small bottles of vodka. Later that afternoon, Police were called to the Greenacres pub in the shopping centre to deal with a clearly intoxicated Ms Wiltshire. Indeed, witnesses stated that when a dog walker asked Ms Wiltshire to steer clear of his pet, she replied: “My horse will eat your dog!” In court, Ms Wiltshire accepted that it was unwise to take the horse into the shopping centre and pleaded guilty to being drunk in charge of a horse in a public place. She was fined £50 plus £50 costs.
31-year old Geoffrey Blacklin was also fined for riding while intoxicated. In this case, it was for riding bareback through the streets of Newcastle. He was charged under the 1872 Licensing Act and fined £150 and £35 costs for being caught drunk “in charge of a carriage horse, cattle or steam engine.”
On each occasion none of the horses were charged. Although I think this may have been due to their failure to blow into the breathalyzer correctly!
According to investigators, between 2003-5, staff at South Oak Cliff High School (based in Dallas) forced students to “duke it out” bare knuckle style in a steel cage while other students clapped and screamed (the “cage” was apparently a section of the boys’ changing room barricaded by wire mesh and steel lockers).
The report was produced by Frank McCammon, an investigator with the Dallas Independent School District (DISD). Ironically, the fighting came to light as a result of a separate investigation into grade-fixing at the school in order to allow students to continue to play for the school basketball team in the 2005 and 2006 seasons. McCammon’s report (first obtained by The Dallas Morning News), describes two instances of pupils fighting in the cage with no head or eye protection, however it was not clear from the report what the extent or duration of the fighting was, or whether anyone required medical attention. In March 2008, the DISD submitted the report to district officials, the Dallas County DA and the police department. Shockingly, no charges were ever brought against school staff as the statute of limitations had run out by the time the cage fights were discovered, although apparently “discipline” (whatever that means?) was taken.
When questioned by the Dallas Morning News, Donald Moten (the school’s former principal who resigned last year following the grade-fixing allegations) denies that any fights ever took place.
55-year old Patrice Curtice is suing Frank Morsani (a 77-year old millionaire automobile dealer) after her first date with Angel Valdez (a former jockey) ended in disaster last June. The pair were horseback riding in Spring Hill when they were attacked by two “guard” donkeys which had escaped from Morsani’s ranch.
Apparently, the Donkeys bit at the hindquarters of Curtice’s horse, causing it to rear and flip Curtice onto her back. The horse and donkeys then stomped on Curtice’s back whilst she was on the floor, until her horse bolted and was chased the donkeys. She broke seven ribs, bruised her lungs and her spine and had hoof bruises on her lower back.
Curtice is suing for negligence release, caused by a failure to fix the property fence. Morsani on the other hand questions why he has any responsibility and stated that his “fence was cut by somebody and this allowed our livestock to get out. I’m sorry what happened to them … but somebody let our cows out.”
Jason Armstead (Winnipeg Blue Bombers wide receiver) was arrested and charged over the weekend for domestic violence and resisting arrest. Allegedly he waved a gun at his former girlfriend after chasing her on US Highway 90.
No one was injured and Armstead was later released on bail.
Searching is continuing today for three missing footballers (Oakland Raiders linebacker – Marquis Cooper, free-agent NFL defensive lineman – Corey Smith, and former South Florida player – William Bleakley) after their boat capsized during poor weather on a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico.
Coast Guard crews managed to rescue a fourth man (Nick Schuyler) who was found clinging to the boat. Doctors have said it is a miracle he survived as long as he did in the cold water off the Florida coast.
Officially, the Coast Guard has closed the search, and has discouraged private searches for safety reasons, however the families of the men have not given up hope just yet.
Trevis Smith (disgraced former Saskatchewan Roughrider) has now been released after completing two years of his six year sentence for aggravated sexual assault. The charges were brought in 2007, after he had unprotected sex with two women when he was HIV-positive.
Smith has now been deported back to the United States.
During his January parole hearing, Smith admitted that he didn’t inform his sexual partners of his HIV status because he was embarrassed and in denial.
Gabe Pruitt (Boston Celtics Guard) has been arrested for misdemeanour drunken driving after failing a field sobriety test when stopped by Police at 3am.
Pruitt said in a statement that: “I sincerely apologize for my actions which have caused unnecessary embarrassment to my family, my team, and the Celtics organization, I used poor judgment and I am really disappointed in myself. I made a mistake and I have learned a valuable lesson.”
The top 5 most tested nations, out-of-competition, are:
Russia
Belarus
USA
China
Jamaica
In defending the use of the tests, Dick Lamick (IAAF President) has stated that it is important that athletes are tested and to that end, the World Championships at Berlin will have 300 more test than last summer’s Olympics in Beijing. While Lamick also acknowledges the burden that the controversial WADA Whereabouts system places on athletes, the IAAF fully supports the scheme as a necessary evil in the fight against drug cheats.
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About Kris
Kris is a Senior Lecturer, and Co-Director of the Centre for International Sports Law (CISL) at Staffordshire University, UK. He originally trained and competed as an elite gymnast until a shoulder injury at university forced him to retire as an active competitor. He now spends his spare time coaching Trampolining, Gymnastics, DMT, Cheerleading, Parkour and anything that involves throwing yourself through the air with various degrees of twist and rotation!
Jon is an Associate Professor, and Co-Director of the Centre for International Sports Law (CISL) at Thompson Rivers University, British Columbia. Jon worked as a climbing guide, trained and coordinated search and rescue, managed risk and sales in the United States with a European-based manufacturer of outdoor equipment and advised recreation programmes on their exposure to legal risk. His extra-curricular background is just as diverse and includes stints playing semi-pro volleyball in Brazil, researching wolves in the Canadian Rockies, climbing and leading expeditions from Alaska to Argentina, Tajikistan to the Tetons, and many points in between. He has been married to Wendy for 15 years and together they have 2 wonderful kids – Tegan (10) and Brock (8) – whom he continues to emotionally scar as their football coach!
Kris is a Senior Lecturer, and Co-Director of the Centre for International Sports Law (CISL) at Staffordshire University, UK. He originally trained and competed as an elite gymnast until a shoulder injury at university forced him to retire as an active competitor. He now spends his spare time coaching Trampolining, Gymnastics, DMT, Cheerleading, Parkour and anything that involves throwing yourself through the air with various degrees of twist and rotation!
Jon is an Associate Professor, and Co-Director of the Centre for International Sports Law (CISL) at Thompson Rivers University, British Columbia. Jon worked as a climbing guide, trained and coordinated search and rescue, managed risk and sales in the United States with a European-based manufacturer of outdoor equipment and advised recreation programmes on their exposure to legal risk. His extra-curricular background is just as diverse and includes stints playing semi-pro volleyball in Brazil, researching wolves in the Canadian Rockies, climbing and leading expeditions from Alaska to Argentina, Tajikistan to the Tetons, and many points in between. He has been married to Wendy for 15 years and together they have 2 wonderful kids – Tegan (10) and Brock (8) – whom he continues to emotionally scar as their football coach!
July 2, 2009
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