Airborn M5 wreck
 

not sure if any1 has posted this yet...

http://jalopnik.com/349540/flying-bm...ts-darwin-wins

the crash happened on a private airstrip by john travolta's house. I heard on the radio this morning that the kid that was driving was 18 and was on an m5 forum (not sure which one) asking how to imprive the performance after 100mph. seeing the wreckage they were obviously well over 100mph. also on the forum he said he would never endanger the lives of others yet had 4 friends in the car.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...cleId=124526#2

more details

The mods should put this one in the Newbie forum and sticky it. DON'T DRIVE LIKE AN ASSHAT! There are times and places to go fast, they're called racetracks. They put someone who knows what they're doing in the passenger seat and they will teach you how to not kill yourself. You'll be wearing safety equipment... at least a helmet.

I also HIGHLY suggest you spend a whole bunch of time autocrossing before you ever attempt to drive on a track. Learn how to control the car at low speed and you may save your car or your life once you get to the fast stuff. If you want to impress your friends, do it there. They're allowed to ride along and it's a lot more exciting (and impressive) than going 140 in a straight line.

And above all else... KEEP IT ON THE TRACK!

should have been driving a festiva

should have been driving a bicycle!!!

wow

;)

^^^^ I know man, im speechless

So true, going over 100 in a straight line takes a lot of focus in just about any car, especially since as clearly shown here one wrong move can mean multiple wrong body parts...

Autocross/track, and if you get a new car, autocross/track it, at least once, to get a feel for it. Its too cheap and easy to do to save your's (and possibly others') lives. I chalk up about 100 accident avoidances to my experiences at the track and autocross. Nothing makes it easier to dodge real life objects than dodging big orange cones!

M5Board.com Thread: http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/sho...d.php?t=111454

AmericanM5 is the kid

I saw that on the news, that's crazy

I agree, this should be a sticky. There are far too many people that THINK THE SAME EXACT WAY. {thumbdwn}

I added this to our no-street-racing sticky. Terrible accident, but no real surprise sticking a kid with minimal experience in a super car.

i wouldnt consider this street racing, it was on a private airstrip. and the airstrip happens to be the biggest private airstrip in the US.

horrible! r.i.p to all their souls. reality check!... reading his actual posts on the actual thread gave me goosebumps. damn man.

Everyone's so quick to blame street racing for everything! Street racing is dangerous because of public roads with other cars and pedestrians. His accident wasn't even on a public street.

Initial reports were that he was racing another BMW. Regardless, the kid was an idoit. And his parents are damn stupid too. There is only a very very very small percentage of people that age that can handle that car, and they've generally been racing since they were 4 yrs old and are already racing professionally.

i saw the first initial reports saying that he did laps back and forth, but also said that they were all drinking. but i never saw anything about another bmw being involved.

Truly tragic. RIP

Of course we all here different stories but what I heard that he was driving back and forth on this airstrip and the last trip his brakes failed, we know that can happen eventually, guess he did'nt realize that brakes and fluid can get too hot!

should not have been driving at all!!{thumbdwn} his pops shoulda got him a bus-pass.......

It's not street racing, but it's the same type of stupidity. Which is worse - Driving 140+ on a closed course vs driving 140+ on the street? If this kid hadn't piled up his father's car and died on the runway, what do you think he would have done when he got out on the road to go home?

Accidents do happen, but this wasn't an accident, it was gross error in judgment and lack of skill/experience. The same thing that goes into racing someone on a highway.

He had a legal license to drive. He should have been driving something suitable to his experience and skill - i.e. something slower. I have major issues with inexperience drivers getting behind the wheel of 500 HP cars. I see a lot of it on this site, 16-20 year old kids driving 400 WHP Evos with all the arrogance that this kid probably had.

yeah i saw this crash few days ago...inexperienced driver and 500hp can be fatal.

..

you would think some people would be smarter.....

I agree it was a terrible tragedy and don't approve of street racing myself, but it raised a question in my mind. Are threads dedicated to snow drifting in public parking lots banned as well? I must have seen at least three or four in recent memory that were never locked. Sliding around in the snow seems just as dangerous, and even more illegal than racing on a private airstrip.

EDIT:
Doesn't look like the kids had permission to be there...

Sliding in the snow isn't that dangerous, usually. It's done at low speeds, typically under 30 MPH, and as long as there aren't other cars nearby in the parking lot the only real risk is cosmetic damage to the owner's car. Not really sure about the legality - at worst I'd think it's trespassing.

If someone was going rally style on regular roads with lots of traffic, then yes, it'd be treated the same as street racing.

Took the words right out of my mouth. And know what else I realized, 5 18-20 year old boys is A LOT of weight to add to an already dog of a car... I'm surprised 100+ didn't scare the crap out of him with how unstable the car probably felt.

And I'd like to also add to WSB:

I just hope you give "inexperienced" drivers a chance to prove that they aren't inexperienced. Though, I'm sure the mods of EvoM are plenty mature enough to do just that.

I think he shouldn't have been driving at all.

But my condolence goes out to his family. I feel so bad for his dad right now. I know he has nothing to do with his kids death, but deep down he's probably thinking that if he didn't buy that M5, then he would still have his boy.

Best wishes to his family.

As the friend of a (former) 18 year old who was given a 2006 GTO, and later totalled it, I can say that powerful cars shouldn't be given to young drivers. In this case, the father seems to have handed over the keys on several ocassions (probably believing his son was a safe driver) and this is the result.

My heart goes out to the families of those lost. And while there ARE responsible youngsters out there, the power of such a car should be left for those more experienced. Actually, age has nothing to do with it. I would never hand the keys of a Viper to a thirty-five year old if he'd only been driving two years. Shoot, I've been driving for nine and I still don't think I'm ready to handle a car like that.

You know incorrectly then, all of the below are either totally true or at least partially true:

A) He raised the kid, mainly his fault the kid is...was an idiot
B) He let the kid borrow the M5, unless we're missing something, in which case he left the keys in reach of the kid or made some other huge parenting error
C) Chances are that in one way or another he has not only NOT contributed to his son being more mature, but also contributed/influenced his son to think driving like that was cool/okay.

Deep down I hope his regret (if he has one, which he shouldn't, life happens) is letting his son borrow the M5, not purchasing it. Its stories like this that are why I laugh/ed at people when they'd ask if they could drive my car. My condolences to his family for sure, but some lessons for some people have to be learned the hard way.

The M5 is a pretty stable car, even at high speeds with ~1000 lbs of people in it. The adrenaline/peer pressure factor would be much greater.

Everyone starts out inexperienced. The place to gain experience is not in 500 HP cars. Things move WAY too fast; most of these types of incidents involve the driver panicking because they don't know how to react. I'm not sure what you mean by giving young drivers a chance to "prove" they aren't inexperienced, especially when it comes to street racing. :confused: And even though they weren't on the street, this was basically the same thing.

Agree 100% with A and B. Not so sure about C. Having 4 other young males in a car encouraging you to go faster can quickly offset 18 years of your parents telling you to go the speed limit.

When will parents learn? I just read about a 16 year old killing himself and 12 year old brother in a brand new MazdaSpeed 3 that his parents got him. It seems that these kinds of events are coming more common.

This accident was similar to one that happen in Forrest Hill MD. A kid and his friends went to an airstrip to see how fast his car was. They went off the end of the runway and flew into a building 100+ feet away killing all that were in the car.

Typically, when you say that, every 18-20 yr old on this board will go ape ¢hit. Forget about the number of actual 18-20 year old Evo owners who've actually killed themselves on this board, no one wants to deal with facts like that.

This just reinforces my opinion that the first car my kid is ever getting will be a 1972 Buick Electra. If they're lucky, and I'm feeling particularly generous, it will be a convertible.

This was in my same town minutes from my house I didnt know them but all of my friends are pretty bumbed sad thing to happen rip....... Funeral and memorial was held today in Ocala sad thing people

Damn truly tragic :( RIP to those involved.

Ironically I've never had any major accidents, or gotten a speeding ticket for that matter, in my life. So yes, I was a responsible driver at 17. Does that mean I could have handled an M5 at 140mph? HELL no. Honestly, I still couldn't...I wouldn't know what to expect, how to brake, or how to handle it.

Irresponsibility, as I mentioned later in the post, can be found at any age. But yes, given the lack of experience at that age an M5 (or Evo for that matter) is a poor choice. Again, that may not apply to everyone, but I think it applies to many.

holy ****!

I highly doubt 5 18-20 year old kids were at a birthday party and non of them inside the car consumed alcohol that night......

True, and I read a report that said alcohol WAS involved, but to be fair it really only matters if the one behind the wheel had any.

Maybe I've been spoiled with only really having had lighter cars as track cars, but the M5 was one of the most UNstable feeling cars I've had a chance to drive on the track, and I've driven one of the newer ones and an older one. Or maybe I just hate big heavy beasts and they all *feel* unstable to me...

And I agree... C is a little out there but parental influence, even just at the subconcious level, can be a powerful thing. But, the chances of his dad being a speed hungry maniac AND relaying that onto his son are pretty slim.

And by giving them a chance to "prove" I don't mean let the kid drag his M5, or even his Buick Electra on the street. I'm just commenting that I hope you (and everyone else) know that experience isn't necessarily a direct correlation to age, but you didnt' really sound like you were saying you thought that anyway.

Gotcha. I personally try to give the benefit of the doubt to everyone, but I've found that younger people with significant track/racing experience usually aren't the ones street racing or "seeing how fast it'll go". :dunno:

Thanks for clarifying what you meant.

Thats just a big WOW to the parents of the driver that let that a 18 year old kid drive a 500 hp M5 at 3am in morning.

A witness said the car did multiple runs before the final crash. U know that kid was trying to hit top speed. How did he not see the 80 foot embankment commin up?

yeah he was probably trying out the 7 gears.........it said he was sideways when he flew off the ramp, so im gonna guess he saw it but it was too late.

The brakes really sucked on cars back then. My parent's station wagon (72 Chevy Kingswood) couldn't even come to a complete stop from a single panic stop from 90 mph. Get your kid something newer if you think they're going to have a lead foot. :)

Man ive read alot of crash storys like this, but this one really is gona make me think twice about doing a top speed run in the future.

insane

Shoulda had a drag racing chute.

Idiot + 500hp = this....What a moron!!!!!! He didn't even respect his parents enough to treat that car- A freaking M5 BTW!!!-his friends, or his own life with respect. So I say "Good Riddance!!" What a waste of a human being!!! I must say he had nads of steel though to be doing stupidity like that.....I would be scared crapless to go balls out in my pop's Evo or my mom's STi

The trunk on that tree was massive.

i know some r saying the parents aren't at fault...but just to mention that this kid had 4 moving violations prior to this wreck should have set off an alarm to these parents...if i had kids, they would be driving a kia after 4 violations before the age of 18...i dunno what kinda laws there are there, but i know here he shouldnt have had a license.

True too... and I say that because im 20. If someone has the balls to go 140 in a m5 after breaking into a private run way im sure they all wondered what the magical powers of alcohol were at a young age too... just like me :lol: ... but then again if the driver wasn't drinking who cares.

4 drunk people egging you on can have a powerful impact, too. :lol:

there was and 85 foot dropoff at the end of the runway,if i heard the new correctly. I you wanted to go really, really fast somewhere- maybe some recon would be in order? This was a terrible thing to happen, and it could have been prevented so easily. R.I.P.

very tragic accident

^^ it does suck, the lession that should be taught from this is if you are going to **** around or race you should not do it with others in the car.

2 kids just died down the street from me street racing off a light... went fast around a small bend and slid off the road into a pole.... car split straight down the middle and both are dead. both are 18. People are always going to race, so IMO when you decide to do so (if you do so at all) in public places you should think of others.... not only the people in your car, but people around you.

how could u live with yourself knowing you killed others or your friends/family from being wreckless?

It sucks the kid died sucks worse he killed his friends. But I blame all 5 of them and possable the parent's. It isen't always the parents fault that kids turn out like they do. He and the 4 other people in the car made the decision to do what they did. I had a 450 hp camaro as my first car and will admit I drove it hard. But I still realized that I was inexperienced and dident push the limits. All I am saying is they had the choice's and made the wrong one. And this is in no way related to street racing. They were on a runway not a public road ( false sense of security) Maby the kid drove normaly on the public roads who know's. Everyone is quick to blame it on the age but I see plenty of older people that do more harm then good driving to slow.

I dont blame the parents at all, your A+ honor-all / star athlete / non-smoker / non-drug user / non-drinker / virgin could of done the same thing.

When I was 18 I owned a 520rwhp cobra that had 499rwtq. I actually only raced it a few times & one of those cars was an m5 of which I beat. So lets just say it was faster than a new m5?

Anyway, I never got a ticket, never got pulled over, and never crashed it .... and I have it because my parents trusted me enough to have it. It's all about the head on your shoulders, it has nothing to do with the parents.

Kid + high-powered cars = NO NO

I agree 100%

It has everything to do with the parents. Your parents are the main reason you had a good head on your shoulders. You were taught responsibility and respect for what you had. Josh's parents trusted him with an M5; but they apparently forgot teaching him to be responsible.

Was this at the track or on the streets?

^^ track

Only to some degree, its more maturity than the parents (IMO). Sure my parents raised me good .... but what i was trying to say in my previous post is being immature and not thinking about the potential consequences of your actions is what make young guys do stupid things. Like i said, i know plenty of kids who dont drink, dont do drugs, etc but who still make stupid decisions and drive like *******s.

Of course you can give the standard platitudes of how not all 18 year olds speed, etc. , etc.

However, if you look at the statistics, they don't lie. 18 + powerful, fast car = bad news. Why do you think insurance rates are higher when you're younger? Because they crash more.

I was a responsible 18 year old driver too. Should I have been given the keys to an M5? No way in hell.