Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Darren Webster, a Holladay man, was seriously injured in a Baja 1000 accident.
- The racing organization, Score International, is investigating the incident involving a trophy truck.
- Friends launched a GoFundMe to aid Webster's costly medical treatment in the U.S.
MURRAY — A Holladay man is back in the United States recovering from serious injuries after he was hit by a large truck at an international racing event.
Darren Webster was scheduled to compete in the Baja 1000 desert race on the Baja California peninsula in Mexico with his team, Canguro Racing, but instead landed in the hospital.
Teammate Ryan Davis said the team has gone to the competition several times, but he never expected to see a freak accident like the one Webster was in.
"People are hurt every year in the Baja 1000. Most of the time where there's problems, they come from the teams because they don't have all the safety equipment, they don't have roll cages, they don't have helmets, and they're often sleep-deprived or don't take the time to pull over and sleep," Davis said.
This was not the case Nov. 14. Video shows a large, orange trophy truck driving down an area where Webster happened to be during contingency.
"You just walk around all the vehicles; you can kind of see little custom pieces of fabrication that people have done and little tricks they've done on their cars and just see them up close," Davis said. "It's like a traffic jam."
The video shows the heavy, orange truck speeding up quickly. We hear the engine revving, then it comes to a sudden stop.
"Somebody got into that trophy truck to move it up and was kind of blipping the throttle," Davis said. "I think he was probably just showing off."
He said Webster was hit first and seriously injured, but two other men were killed.
"We definitely thought he would lose his hand at that point," Davis said. "He's got a shattered pelvis, a bunch of internal injuries. There was a lot of blood being lost."
Davis said his friend was taken to a nearby hospital, then the team worked with his family and the organization overseeing the competition to get him back to the U.S.
"We're contacting air med companies on our own because this isn't something that the hospital orchestrates," Davis said.
He said Webster's treatment would be costly due to insurance issues in Mexico.
"We're sort of on the hook, paying more or less cash for that," he said.
He said the racing organization that oversees Baja 1000, Score International, is investigating the deadly crash. KSL-TV reached out to the organization for comment and more information and has not heard back.
"The young man that was driving was arrested on the spot; they impounded that trophy truck," Davis said.
Davis is hopeful his longtime friend and teammate will be able to heal. He said he's still in the hospital with more operations scheduled.
It's the only finish line they're concerned about right now.
"It's pretty tough to have that so damaged, but, I mean, we're certainly thankful that he is alive, but it is going to be a long road for sure," Davis said.
Friends established a fundraiser* on GoFundMe, gofundme.com/f/bring-darren-home-urgent-medical-aid-needed.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
