Monster truck; crash kills 3 spectators at Netherlands motor sh

USPA News - Three spectators were killed Sunday and nearly two dozen others were injured when a `monster truck` veered off course and drove into a crowd in the eastern Netherlands, the town`s mayor said on Monday. Some of those injured remained in a critical condition.

The accident happened just before 4 p.m. local time as hundreds had gathered behind metal barriers at a parking lot to watch as a monster truck - which is a vehicle equipped with extremely large wheels - performed stunts and drove over a row of cars as part of a motor show in the town of Haaksbergen in eastern Overijssel province. It was the fifth `AutoMotorSports` event in Haaksbergen and coincided with the town`s autumn fair, which was taking place nearby on a sunny day, ensuring many spectators - including families with young children. "A lovely festive afternoon has ended in tragedy. This is a disaster for Haaksbergen," said deputy mayor Peter van Vlaanderen. Speaking on early Monday morning, Mayor Hans Gerritsen said a third person had succumbed to his injuries. "To my great sorrow I must inform you that a third person passed away tonight as a result of the accident in Haaksbergen," he said. "The three fatalities are: a boy, an adult man and an adult woman. The families have been notified." Gerritsen added that 23 others had been injured, including five people who remained in a critical condition. The driver of the monster truck - whose identity was not released - was arrested soon after the accident and was questioned by investigators, a police spokesperson said. The man`s lawyer - Rob Oude Breuil - told local news channel RTV Oost that his client had been arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter but emphasized that no charges had been filed. "I have just spoken with him for the first time. The only thing I can say is to ask the press to leave his family alone. Beyond that, the investigation is ongoing and I can`t say anything," Breuil told RTV Oost, adding that his client would remain in jail overnight. "For us this means we have to wait. It can be that the prosecutor`s office will say: He wasn`t at fault, we won`t prosecute him." In October 2013, eight people were killed and 86 others were injured when a similar monster truck drove into spectators at an annual airshow in northern Mexico. And before that, in January 2009, a 6-year-old boy was killed at a show in Tacoma, Washington, when metal debris from a monster truck flew into the audience.