Monday, Aug. 4, 2003 | 11 a.m.
A 31-year-old man was killed and a bystander was seriously hurt when police say a street racer crashed and burned near the Hurricane Bar and Grill in southern Las Vegas early this morning.
The dead man and two other drivers had been inside the bar just before the race, Metro Police said. Shortly after 1 a.m., the three men got into their cars to race down Bermuda Road, Detective Corey Moon said.
A group of people came out of the bar to cheer them on as the three cars sped down Bermuda toward Cactus Avenue, Moon said. Someone living in the area called police to report a disturbance.
The man who died had been behind the wheel of his new Nissan described by Moon as "the new Fast and Furious car." After about a quarter-mile of racing, he lost control of his car, Moon said.
"We have no idea at this point why he lost control, other than high speeds," he said.
The Nissan went onto the sidewalk and hit a bystander, breaking the bystander's legs, Moon said. The car burst into flames after hitting two light poles, a fire hydrant, a water utility box, three or four trees, and a U-Haul truck at a nearby storage facility, Moon said.
The Clark County coroner's office had not identified the dead racer this morning.
The two other racers left the area after the crash, and may be charged with felony reckless driving, Moon said. One of the drivers later returned to the scene with a beer in his hand, he said.
Two bar employees refused to comment on the crash this morning.
"There's no story here," a man who poked his head out of the door said.
The victim had just bought his Nissan a month ago, Moon said.
"It's a race car in a box," he said. "We have these individuals buying high performance cars and they don't have experience driving them. They don't know how the car handles."
The posted speed limit along the stretch of road where the crash occurred is 35 mph. Police had not yet settled on an estimated speed for the dead man's car, but it is believed to be far above the speed limit.
Workers with the Las Vegas Valley Water District were repairing the water lines damaged by the crash this morning. They said there was a few thousand dollars worth of damage to the water district equipment and lines.
Drag racing is a problem in the south part of Las Vegas because it has wide streets and few houses, police said.
"People with their fast cars go down there and drive as fast as they want," Moon said. "It's such a big area ... It's a problem we try to address."
Metro has used special enforcement programs to try to stop illegal street racing in that part of the city.
This is the second street racing-related fatality in Las Vegas this year, police said. An 18-year-old bicyclist was struck and killed June 13 by two racers while pedaling across Karen Avenue near Malibu Street in a crosswalk.
Street racing isn't limited to Las Vegas, however. In the past year, three people have been killed in North Las Vegas.
Last week, a 16-year-old driver engaged in a street race and his 15-year-old passenger were injured when they were thrown from a car near Cheyenne High School in North Las Vegas. The 16-year-old suffered head injuries.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway started a program last year called "Midnight Mayhem" designed to attract illegal street racers and other amateurs to a safer environment. However, the racers continue to use the streets.
An ordinance was adopted last month in San Diego -- a city with a significant street racing problem -- making it illegal to watch a street race. Local officials are working on getting a similar "spectator ordinance" passed in Clark County.
Sun reporter
Malia Spencer contributed to this story.
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