The initial findings have come in concerning the accident at the California 200 off-road race tragedy that left eight people dead three months ago. The race promoter, Mojave Desert Racing, was contractually obliged by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to keep spectators at least 50 feet away from the course. In turn, it was the BLM’s duty to monitor compliance with that stipulation, and sadly, neither of those things happened.

Just after the accident, A CNN report speculated on how close watchers might have been to the course and the Los Angeles Times indicated that they were within “a few feet.” With that in mind, it’s amazing that more people weren’t hurt or killed. The BLM has instituted new procedures for approving and overseeing races, and the promoter is waiting to have its license reinstated pending the outcome of the investigation.

Written by Jonathan Ramsey for AB