A matter of time: One killed, one injured, Gumball cancelled
UPDATE: This tragic accident has claimed its second civilian life. The wife of the man killed yesterday died from her injuries today in the Skopje Clinic Center. Read the update here.
This year's edition of The Gumball 3000 is no more, after a hit-and-run accident in Macedonia left a man dead and his wife in the hospital in critical condition. Nick Morley (who was driving) and Matthew McConville, in a Techart 911 Turbo, crossed the center line and crashed into a Macedonian couple in a VW Golf. The 67-year-old man died of a supposed heart attack according to a Gumball press release. His wife remains there with serious injuries.
There's an expression that goes "It's not the crime, it's the cover up" that gets you. In this case it was both. As if the "hit" weren't bad enough, it was followed by "and run" when Nick and Matthew tried to flee on foot. They were picked up by a Gumballer in a BMW with Russian plates and made it as far as the Macedonia-Albania border, where they were arrested. The driver of the BMW was held briefly then released. Nick has been arrested and placed under 30-day temporary detention in Macedonia, charged with "heavy violation of traffic safety" and "failure to help an injured person." Then Gumball HQ flubbed the crisis management. Apparently they didn't put out a release for at least 24 hours and wouldn't answer questions about the accident in the Gumball forum. When they finally did issue a statement, it said the driver died of a heart attack on the way to the hospital (brought on by. . .?) and that the drivers immediately reported the accident.
Perhaps Germany and Turkey are now glad they prevented this year's Gumball from passing through. As far as Europe goes, next year's Gumball will probably be lucky if it's allowed to do laps in a parking lot. However, it probably will go on; when that much much money is involved, a way will be found -- but don't look for it on the Continent. Follow the 'Read' link for more details, the press releases, and a video clip of the accident aftermath.
[Source: Jalopnik]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
clutchcargo 9:00AM (5/04/2007)
Heart attack. Look at that dashboard in the old Golf! Yeah, heart attack, thats it.
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cowboy bob 11:34AM (5/04/2007)
Not good for anyone. A race, however you choose to describe/deny it, belongs on a race course, not highways. Yes, many will say that this type of thing would happen anyway, but it happened involving this event. That is the problem.
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epilonious 9:03AM (5/04/2007)
It's all fun and games until you lose control of your overpriced and overpowered car and it mauls a family.
Good Riddance, Race-cars are for the Race-track
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epilonious 9:12AM (5/04/2007)
It's all fun and games until you lose control of your overpriced and overpowered car and it mauls a family.
Good Riddance, Race-cars are for the Race-track.
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jyi1693 9:16AM (5/04/2007)
I agree with number 3.
Keep them on the track, or at least set a limit for Gumball.
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akintz 9:21AM (5/04/2007)
Heart Attack: Where your heart is attacked by the steering wheel and the rest of the car that was crushed into you.
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Todd 9:39AM (5/04/2007)
Example # 321 from the "Just because you are rich doesn't mean you have any sense, skills or taste" category.
RE: Eddie Griffin, pimped 612s, crashed Enzos, Carrera GTs, et al
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Nick 9:41AM (5/04/2007)
It was indeed just a matter of time.
This needed to end. Too many lives at risk. Just watching these videos makes my stomach churn. I'm shocked that there wasn't anything this serious or worse sooner.
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sammy z 9:44AM (5/04/2007)
#3 here here!
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CRiccio 6:50PM (5/04/2007)
I cant agree with the race cars quip, the TechArt 911 Turbo is by no means a race car. Just a modded street car. Now the leaving the racing for the track..i can agree with that.
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Zoom-zoom 10:03AM (5/04/2007)
Isn't why the race tracks were invented? Good luck to Nick Morley and Matthew McConville. Hope both stay behind in Macedonia for several years, learning how to say "I'm an idiot" in a Macedonian jail shower
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Nick 10:22AM (5/04/2007)
Stupid race for retards that cannot drive (otherwise they would have competed on the track). I hope Macedonia doesn't bend over in this case and with jail two bastards for good.
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RidinLow 10:32AM (5/04/2007)
Wow, that's horrible. I hope these two idiots disappear from society for a long time.
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Nick 10:44AM (5/04/2007)
Ivo Gievski, please do everyone a favour - start throwing bricks on their windshields next time they pass by. That will teach idiots to stay off the public roads.
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Ruud 11:06AM (5/04/2007)
#14- What next time? The Macedonian government especially will not be keen to allow another rally like this one go through their country.
Then again, considering Beckham's stolen X5 wound up in the possession of Macedonia's Minister of the Interior, I guess everyone has his or her price.
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Wanderer 11:12AM (5/04/2007)
#3 Totally agree.
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Wojtek 11:23AM (5/04/2007)
#16: Ruud, it's extremly rude (sic!) to mix up the Beckhams' car story (that he nor his insurance company didn't claim at all, so it was legally seized by authorities) with a allegation that Macedonian authorities would risk life of their citizens if bribed. Maybe it's your country's standard, but it's not international, believe me.
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The lawer 11:53AM (5/04/2007)
I hope the survivor is advised to sue them all - Nick Morley for vehicular manslaughter and The Gumball 3000 for facilitating and promoting unsafe racing. Something in $10M range for Nick and $50M for the racing organizers will do.
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Sami 10:44AM (7/16/2007)
It's more like "attacked in the heart"
after the VW smashed like that, does gumball take us for fools?
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TheChaz 1:03PM (5/04/2007)
Here's the comment I made at the end of the last Bullrun rally in the U.S.
"Thank God it's finally over. If it's ten years before I hear about another bunch of rich, self-indulgent trust fund kiddies endangering others on public roads for NO REASON, that'll be too soon.
Take your supercar, Von Dutch trucker hat, $300 "vintage" Iron Maiden concert tee and caviar circle-jerk to a road course, willya?"
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