1 girl dies after Mud-A-Thon accident
By The Emporia Gazette (Contact)
Originally published 10:05 a.m., August 1, 2010
Updated 01:29 p.m., August 1, 2010
A 17-year-old girl from Shawnee died after a vehicle competing in the Mud-A-Thon at the Lyon County Fair landed on the pickup she was watching from.
Hannah Deaver was taken by ambulance to Newman Regional Health and later transferred by air ambulance to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita. She was pronounced dead at Wesley.
Deaver and 17-year-old Alexandria M. Allen of 1022 Union St. were seated in the bed of a pickup watching the Mud-A-Thon. The pickup was parked at the north end of the mud pit. A guard rail about a foot high separated the arena where the mud pit was from spectators.
During the competition, competitors vehicle came out of the pit after making a run. Witnesses said the vehicle, instead of coming out of the pit and turning back toward the other end, instead, ended up driving through the guard rail, going airborne, struck the pickup in which the girls sat and landed on the grass past the truck.
"On behalf of the Lyon County Fair Board, we sincerely regret the incident that happened," said Gregg Gasche, fair board president. "Our thoughts and prayers are with those that were involved."
Allen was also taken by ambulance to Newman where she was treated and released.
The investigation into the incident continues, handled by the Emporia Police Department and Lyon County Sheriff’s Department.
bigchevy (anonymous) says...
My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the young lady who died. This was the most horrible thing I've ever seen. Are there any updates on the other lady who was in the back of the truck? This is so sad. I did hear the baby that fell off the grandstands is doing okay.
August 1, 2010 at 7:43 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Peanut_Cross (anonymous) says...
Our thoughts & prayers go out to everyone involved in the accident.
August 1, 2010 at 9:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tangoarmy (anonymous) says...
I didn't even know an accident had happened. I had mentioned how I get nervious at things like this because of the chance of a wreck. Thoughts go out to the victims family. Hope the other person is okay also.
Hope the child that fell off the bleachers is okay too.
August 1, 2010 at 10:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
fawn196166 (anonymous) says...
Im saddened that this tradgey took place, but several of us emporians have said for years. That the fair board needed to do somthing to make our mud pit safer. So i see the board now only has two opitions build it safer or take it completly away from us which i pray will not happen
my thoughts and prayers go out to that young ladies family.
August 1, 2010 at 11:08 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
snow (anonymous) says...
No details, really.
Is there a local gossip website where a person can find out more of what really happened?
August 1, 2010 at 11:54 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ngiftshoppe (anonymous) says...
My thoughts and prayers goes out to the family of the young lady that died last night at the Mud-A-Thon. And to the other family of the girl that got hurt. It was a sad that this happened!
August 1, 2010 at noon ( permalink | suggest removal )
kcastro23 (anonymous) says...
R.I.P. Hannah i will miss u so much
August 1, 2010 at 12:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
nique805 (anonymous) says...
RIP hanna the fam will unite together and miss you! We love you
August 1, 2010 at 1:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
midnightlilly (anonymous) says...
This is awful, and I heard a baby fell from the grandstands.
August 1, 2010 at 2:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sittingeagle (anonymous) says...
Great grandfather take this child into your loving arms.
August 1, 2010 at 2:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
gibsonsg1961 (anonymous) says...
i am friends with hannah deaver and have been for quite sometime in my pic its me to the left her fiance in the middle and her on the far side... we appriaciate all of who pray for hannah and the people who express concern for her and her family... hopefully with this tragedy something good may come out of it like better safety standards for mudding events... RIP hannah
August 1, 2010 at 6:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
empgazfan (anonymous) says...
Well, its time to end these silly mud-a-thons. Why do we have such silly contests of masculinity? What do they prove? This girl has paid for the stupidity of these things with her life.
August 1, 2010 at 6:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
barefooting (anonymous) says...
I m sorry to hear of this tragedy.
August 1, 2010 at 6:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Paola (anonymous) says...
aww.this is so sad..even thou i don't know the girl. still..my prayers go to her and her family..
August 1, 2010 at 6:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
Can't imagine what her parents, family and friends are dealing with. I have kids that age. Tragic accident, I'm quite sure the driver of the mud buggy is having a hard time dealing with what happened as well. Hug them and tell them you love them every chance you get, there might not be a next time.
August 1, 2010 at 8:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
arminius (anonymous) says...
God bless her family and friends. You all are in our prayers.
August 1, 2010 at 9:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Lilmrscntry (anonymous) says...
My name is Terri and Hannah is my cousin. As a family member I would just like to acknowlege all of you who have left comments, kind words and prayers for our family and for Hannah. I'm sure in the coming days there will be more information, and maybe other comments by family and friends. Please continue to keep Hannah and her family in your prayers. She is, was and always will be such a beautiful child with such a beautiful spirit. It is truly tragic to have lost our loved one this way, but rest assured Hannah is at home at peace with our lord and other family who went before her. If nothing else is learned from this turn of events, please remember this...Life can be short and we never know when we will be called home. So live each day to the fullest, love with all your heart and never take one single breath for granted! Thank you all for your kindness and continued support in the days ahead. They are greatly appreciated!
To our beautiful Hannah...Rest in peace baby girl, you are so loved and missed terribly. Love you most, always!!!
August 1, 2010 at 9:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
qrtrhorse95 (anonymous) says...
Condolences and deepest sympathy to the family of the girl. It is tragic when something like this happens. This is something that you don't want to see happen at any event. But these are not "Sports of Masculinity." It is a sport just like Nascar, football, etc.
My question is were all safety precautions taken by the operators and promoters, as well as the fair board? How close was this vehicle and the stands to the pit area? Before laying blame on anyone in particular, all aspects need to be reviewed as there is more to this tragedy than meets the eye.
August 1, 2010 at 9:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madlittleredhead (anonymous) says...
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the young lady who lost her life Saturday night. We can't imagine how the driver of the mud buggy must feel, especially since he will live the rest of his life with this accident in his head. Such a tragedy. My husband and I were sitting just 25 yards from where the driver first lost control....SCARY, and we were in the bleachers.
I agree with qrtrhorse95, 100%. And from where we were sitting, the truck that the girls were in was sitting right at the end of the shut down area, past where the pipe fence ended, not a good spot. Sounds like the fair board needs to review some safety protocols to possibly prevent further accidents like this one from happening again.
August 1, 2010 at 10:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tsambm (anonymous) says...
My son is Hannah's fiancee. They were so in love. In the time we knew Hannah she became part of our family. We loved her and we were so excited for her to be part of our family. If you knew the two of them you knew how perfect they were together even at a this young age. Matt's day was planned around being with Hannah. Everything else was secondary. Now what?
People will debate the safety issues of this situation. Obviously, every precaution was not taken. With 5000 pound trucks and 700 horsepower engines how much safety should there be? Way more than what was in place. A beautiful, loving girl is dead. My son's life is shattered. Her parents are dealing with something that no parent should have to deal with.
Who among the leadership of this city, the county, and this event will step up and take responsibility for making the changes necessary so that a tragedy like this NEVER happens again?
Now what?
August 2, 2010 at 8:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
nutsaboutools (anonymous) says...
Rumors going round (my daughter's facebook) is that the driver of the vehicle was "less than sober". I hope that this rumor is false.
Our thoughts and prayers Hannah. Hang in there, Matt!
August 2, 2010 at 11:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jamesbordonaro (James Bordonaro) says...
If the Gazette's story is correct that a "guard rail about a foot high" was the only thing protecting the spectators then I would consider that gross negligence on the part of the Fair Board.
August 2, 2010 at 11:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
That occurred to me too, James. I agree with you.
August 2, 2010 at 1:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
countrygirl13 (anonymous) says...
Okay i'm the daughter of the racer. I agree with James, the gard rail was only about a foot high. A five year old could step over it. The pit just wasn't good at all. This could of happend to anybody. They should of had the people move when the races began. That was an accident waitin to happen. They were way to close to the pit. I'm not pointin fingers at anyone. But, maybe this all happend for a reason.....
August 2, 2010 at 1:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
oops (anonymous) says...
Its a tragic accident, that was easily preventable. Now isn't the time to point fingers, but after the initial knee jerk reaction is gone it will be easier to judge. I've always said it was just a matter of time till something like this happened. I am kind of surprised it was during this event and not the demo derby. I hope Hannahs family can find the strength to carry on.
August 2, 2010 at 2:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
AlexAllen (anonymous) says...
OK, I am Alexandria Allen, and I just wanted to say I wish the Gazette had gotten some facts straight regarding the accident...
I was NOT in the bed of the white truck with Hannah Deaver, I was about 10 feet away from the truck sitting in a lawn chair...
My deepest condolensces go out to the Deaver family and friends. From what I heard she was a very sweet girl and is going to be very missed. I cannot imagine what type of pain you are feeling...
August 2, 2010 at 2:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
glarson (anonymous) says...
Our apologies, Alex, for the error about where you were when the accident occurred. Numerous people had told us what they saw, and we mistakenly believed both girls were in the pickup watching the competition.
That has been corrected in the follow-up story:
http://www.emporiagazette.com/news/20...
August 2, 2010 at 4:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bloom (anonymous) says...
Wow . . . the strength exhibited by Hannah's cousin, Terri (above), in her inspiring and comforting words is amazing to me. I appreciate that she did not waste those words by placing blame, but instead, by acknowledging and celebrating a beautiful young girl's life cut way too short. Apparently, Hannah was doing something she loved by being at the Mud-a-thon. It is truly unfortunate and tragic that her life ended that way, but I hope when I die it is in doing something I love.
August 2, 2010 at 5:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
spectator (anonymous) says...
My thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of the victims, including that of the racer. This nightmare will haunt them forever.
empgazfan, you claim this a sport of masculinity but ignore the fact that numerous ladies were at the function. I would also suppose you are unaware or choose to ignore the fact that ladies also enjoy something called a demolition derby and even compete in a demolition derby called a Powder Puff -only- for the ladies. Because they like it.
This accident was a horrible tragedy, plain and simple. It should not have happened but it did and I desperately hope and pray it never happens again.
Life itself is risky and the only thing any of us can do is try to be, and hope for, the best. Maybe the best way to protect yourself is to barricade yourself indoors. Some of the postings indicate Hannah was one who enjoyed life and would not hide from the world.
May the good Lord bless and comfort all the people involved.
August 2, 2010 at 7:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
alex (anonymous) says...
I have been to many mud racing events and have got to say that if the pit and safety rail system they had in Emporia was built like any other place you go this wouldn't have happened. I was standing on the west side of the white ranger recording them when Jenkins' truck came through the pit and headed right for us and i barely avoided getting hit. If that place ever has another Mud Racing event they need to rethink how they build safety barriers.
August 2, 2010 at 8:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madlittleredhead (anonymous) says...
Alex, I totally agree with your comment on the safety barrier, concrete k- rails or gaurd rails etc. The fair board is going to have to make this event safe so this never happens again.
August 2, 2010 at 10:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
alfalfa (anonymous) says...
My heart goes out to the family.
I am not all that surprised this happened. Safety precautions the last time I was around seemed fairly non-existent. People gripe about rules, so nobody wants to be the bad guy and say, "you can't park here, you can't sit there" but obviously someone should have been doing that.
Hopefully we can all learn something from this, and learn to take what we believe to be slight risks seriously, and respect people who do take slight risks seriously and not bellyache if they step on our toes a little every once in a while for our own good.
August 2, 2010 at 10:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
"If that place ever has another Mud Racing event they need to rethink how they build safety barriers."
Before all the blame is placed on the Fair Board, let's remember that the spectators who chose to sit so close to the track made that choice on their own free will. They were not seated there nor told to park there by Fair volunteers. Personal accountability needs to be considered. That fence was not installed as a safety barrier. The short pipe fence was installed to mark the old horse race track from the 70's not to stop a 100-1000hp mud or pulling vehicles. Common sense should tell those who employ it that it would be dangerous to sit so close to the track/pit/action.
I can imagine how the public will howl when the Fair Board requires spectators to stay well back at future events. You'll need your binoculars.
Tragic accident. It doesn't matter what kind of fence they may or may not put up, what safety regulations are implemented, what civil suits are filed, nothing will bring the young lady back nor remove all risk from the events held there.
Part of the reason we attend and participate in such events is the danger aspect included in them. We ride on carnival and amusement parks rides because they go fast and do things we normally don't experience. We go watch trucks and tractors pull excess loads as fast as they can to test their strength and durability. We go to the demo derby to watch the cars get crunched up, roll over, some even enjoy it when they catch fire. We like watching the ATV races to see who can go the fastest without wrecking. When those men/woman and their machines break, we see the FD come out to rescue the operators, we see shrapnel from the broken parts fly, hot oil, antifreeze, fuel and sometimes fire spraying everywhere.
Danger is a big part of why people go in the first place.
August 3, 2010 at 9:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sloan (anonymous) says...
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/08/02/...
Doesn't sound good for the fair board. I hope they have some good insurance. Should the spectators have parked there? No. Should someone from the fair board told people to move? Yes.
August 3, 2010 at 9:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
menagerie06 (anonymous) says...
I believe the PA announcer was telling people to move back but the PA system was not very loud and I'm not sure could even be heard on the east side of the track. We were sitting on the SW end by where they started and could hardly hear the announcer,behind the stands by the restroom you could hear it pretty good but, that's not were you needed to hear him.
August 3, 2010 at 10:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
93shocarguy (anonymous) says...
I logged in to insert my 2 cents worth this morning and saw that neighbor had already said it. This was a tragedy/accident. When something like this happens, we all want answers. Had this not happened, would anyone be complaining about where people were sitting during the event? Had this not happened, I'm sure there would be much more discussion about the young child that fell from the bleachers and people trying to place blame for that accident as well. I am very sorry that this happened, my prayers go out to all involved, but lets use this is a learning experience and not as something to place blame on others. Society seems pretty lawsuit happy nowdays and it's made the world a pretty sad place.
August 3, 2010 at 11:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ChevyTrucksRule (anonymous) says...
I hope that Hannah's parents sue the Lyon County Fair Board members for allowing this to happen! The money they get will not bring Hannah back, but maybe it could be put in a memorial fund towards whatever Hannah felt strongly about. I am so sorry that the Fair Board Members did not care enough about the publics safety...It is so sad that a life had to end before the Lyon County Fair Board starts questioning the publics safety at a Lyon Couty Fair event. Wake up Lyon County Fair Board!!!
August 3, 2010 at 4:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hew07 (anonymous) says...
ok people really i was there sat and it was an accident. im sorry for the girl that died and the one that was hurt but no ones even asked if he was ok i mean really what if it had been one of you that rolled that truck and someone ended up dying? everyone wants to put the blame on him but hes the one that has to live with that accident the rest of his life. come on people. and theres no need to cancel the arena events next year they just need to block off the end of the pit and further no one should have been down there.
August 3, 2010 at 4:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tsambm (anonymous) says...
There is an expectation that the people who organize and manage these events will use all safety precautions. They are the experts.
My son is Hannah's fiancee and he loved these events but he is not an expert on safety issues. He and all of the other fans EXPECT the organizers to take all precautions and consider all possible scenarios.
These are large, extremely powerful trucks and if they lose control and roll over like this one did then there needs to be restraining systems that will stop a rolling truck going 60 or 70 MPH.
Obviously, this was a WORSE CASE SCENARIO but no one factored this into the safety precautions used for this event.
An example of a system that might work may be something similar to the restraining cables that are in between lanes of the interstate. These are designed to prevent vehicles going 75 MPH from crossing the medians. And they work. Why not use something like that here?
I am just a common sense guy...this could have been prevented and it would not cost a lot of money.
Many, many people will suffer from this tragedy for a long time, including the driver. Two people in love cannot live out their dreams.
Now --- will the leadership of the city, the county, the fair board, the police, the sheriff, the promoter, or others step up and insist on installing the necessary safety system so this will never happen again?
August 3, 2010 at 8:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
93shocarguy (anonymous) says...
ChevyTrucksRule - the Lyon County Fair board did not "allow" this to happen. It was an accident, that is all. Did anyone MAKE the people park where they did, or did those people pay extra to park where where they did? They "chose" to park there. I find it hard to believe that anyone forced people to park where they did. It was an accident plain and simple. I am sorry that it happened. Even IF there would have been a higher guard rail, or IF people would not have parked where they did, there was still the chance an ACCIDENT could have happened...and it did. We all take a chance every morning when we walk out of the safety of our homes and into public, but it is just that, a chance we take, nobody is to blame.
August 3, 2010 at 8:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
troyboy (anonymous) says...
I will just have to say, i am so saddened by this ordeal, i saw it firsthand and am a serious mudracer myself! We all want to win and i personally never want to see a spectator get hurt!!!! Many thoughts and prayers for both familys involved with this! I know it's easy to say what we should have done after a bad deal like this! If they don't move that mud pit somewhere else it's gonna be hard to get any fast stuff there ever again!! WE NEED SHUTDOWN AREA for this fast stuff!!!!! We as racers are gonna have to stand up and make the rules for the pit operators!!! This isn't backyard mud bogging anymore!!! Very Sad to witness this incident!
August 3, 2010 at 9:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madlittleredhead (anonymous) says...
Dusty Degraffenried, a motorsport promoter for 10 years who organizes races around the Midwest, said that he has worried about the spectators near the finish line at the Lyon County Mud-A-Thon for several years and that he stopped going because of those concerns. The racing event is operated by a fair board that lacks expertise in car racing, but he said there is plenty of responsibility to go around for what happened. quote from the kansas city star
August 3, 2010 at 10:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
susanann56 (anonymous) says...
I to believe this was a terrible accident, but the problem I'm having is when reading the comments their is obviously been on going concerns about the safety factors for many years. And they seem to have brushed them under the rug. Chevy Trucks says they did not "allow" this to happen. If this area was a concern and and the drivers, promoters, board members and everyone else concerned were aware of this then why was it not roped off and spectators not allowed to be there? Not everyone coming to these events is a regular and is aware of the concerns the towns people have. They had went there like lots of other people for a nice night out and were in a area that was open to the public to be in with no warning about being in danger. No they didn't pay extra money or make them park there, they chose to on their own. They put their trust in the people who run the event that they were in a place that is safe. I could understand if they had went to a area that had signs that said "do not enter". I do not want to see this shut down. I just want either major construction done or spectators can no longer be allowed in that area.
August 4, 2010 at 2:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kitty93 (anonymous) says...
snow, you really dont wanna know the details. trust me.
and one of my friends was there and almost got killed but you know what? the guard rail did save her life and the lives of others around her. if the jeep had not hit it and gained air, more people would have died. however, it is very sad that a girl my age lost her life at the mudathon. more safety precautions should be taken.
August 7, 2010 at 10:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )