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Spectators Hurt When Truck Plows Into Crowd At Mud Event

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WCCO/AP) -- Authorities say at least four people were hurt after a crash at the Pioneer Park Mud Bog event in Eau Claire, Wis. Saturday afternoon.

The accident happened around 12:30 p.m. just off Highway 37.

Officials said a truck involved in the Pioneer Days Mud Bog & Tuff Truck event left the course and hit several people, including a 6-year-old boy.

"One of the racers lost control midway through the track, made a hard left and into the crowd over the guardrail," said Detective Allen Myren of the Eau Claire County Sheriff's Office.

The driver was almost completely stopped when the vehicle reached the spectators, according to the event's director.

Some of the victims were trapped underneath the car. Crews had to extricate one of the victims.

Four injured people were taken to a hospital by ambulance. Two of the victims have since been released from the hospital, authorities said. One of them was the young boy.

The victims' names haven't been released.

Deputies and fire officials were already at the scene when the crash happened.

Fifteen to 20 yards is all that separated witness Andrew Rene from being the victim of a tragic accident.

"I saw a couple people that go down underneath the car. It was really horrifying," he said. "There was a lot of screaming, there was a lot of yelling and once people found out there was other people that were under there, they are all ran over there and tried to lift it off. Yeah it was havoc."

Mud racers -- or mud boggers, as some call them -- attempt to drive their mud trucks through the man-made race track at record times, often reaching speeds that exceed 100 miles per hour.

There were about 140 entrants in Saturday's race, and about 1,200 spectators throughout the day. Races continued after the accident.

In July 2005, four people suffered injuries when a mud racer left the pit.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Mud Bog Crash In Wisconsin
(credit: AP Photo/Eau Claire Leader-Telegram/Shane Opatz)
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