History of Injuries, Fatalities Cited : Girl’s Death Prompts Call to Halt Races

A day after a runaway speedboat killed 9-year-old Brandy Branchflower of Burbank on the shore at Irvine Lake Sunday, Orange County Supervisor Bruce Nestande called for revoking a drag boat racing permit unless race operators can prove the events can be conducted safely.

Nestande on Monday cited a history of injuries and three deaths since 1982, when drag boat racing started at the lake.

Meanwhile, Peter Doyle, an attorney for the National Drag Boat Assn., which sanctioned the weekend race, said a preliminary inspection showed that something had gone wrong with the boat, causing it to veer to the right after passing the finish line and run up onto a beach lined with spectators.

The boat, which was traveling about 45 m.p.h. when it hit the beach, threw the child about 50 feet, killing her instantly.

An inspector from Orange County’s Environmental Management Agency is scheduled to visit the lake today and report within a week to Nestande on whether the use permit should be canceled or continued with added safeguards.

Nestande’s proposal to cancel drag boat racing at the lake drew support from the Irvine Co., which owns the land surrounding the lake and leases it to concessionaires, who contract with race operators.

Despite criticism by some drag boat drivers regarding unsafe conditions at the lake, spokesmen for the National Drag Boat Assn. maintained Monday that conditions at Irvine Lake are safer than at many lakes where similar races are held.

The association Monday flew in a Memphis, Tenn., marine architect and boating safety expert to inspect the 1,200-horsepower racing craft that killed the girl.

A Sacramento firm also was hired to take aerial photos of the lake to document the size of the course, which provides more room between racing boats and spectators than is required by the association’s standards, according to Doyle.

The marine expert hired by the association, Jack Riggleman, was joined by Orange County sheriff’s investigators in examining the boat. Results of the sheriff’s inspection were not immediately available.