19 Hurt in Mishap at Motor Sports Event

Seven people were hospitalized Sunday with injuries ranging from a broken leg to fractured ribs, suffered when a dragster crashed into a wall and sent wreckage flying into the stands at Anaheim Stadium in a motor sports event Saturday night.

A total of 19 people, including the driver and a stadium employee, were injured in the 9:15 p.m. accident, which occurred in a half-time demonstration of a high-powered, top-fuel dragster at the Motorsports Doubleheader Extravaganza.

The dragster was to make a 20-foot run at a low speed and “spin its wheels” for the 40,000-plus crowd, to promote an upcoming event at the stadium, a stadium spokeswoman said.

The vehicle was unable to stop and crashed at about 35 m.p.h. The dragster’s rear wheels and axle, which were sheared from the vehicle, careened into the stands, about eight rows up.