WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and SportsMadison truck rally mindful of Washington tragedy

Madison truck rally mindful of Washington tragedy

MADISON (WKOW) -- A tragic accident in Washington State last week doesn't stop the show in Madison this weekend.

Sebastian Hizey, 6, was killed at a monster truck rally in Tacoma when a part flew into the stands and hit him. That's making safety a major concern at a similar rally in Madison.

The Alliant Energy Center is hosting the Monster Truck Nationals this weekend. This is a different circuit from the one that had the accident last week, but it still highlights the need for safety for these types of events.

"We look at safety at every event. Obviously there's pieces that come off these junk cars and we watch where they go. We watch where the crowd is in relation to the monster trucks, obviously," stated George Eisenhart, President of Image Promotions, which puts on the Monster Truck Nationals.

Eisenhart said that accident in Washington was the first time a fan had been killed at an organized truck rally. Monster Truck Nationals has a flawless record.

"This is our 16th year and I wish I had a big piece of wood to knock on right now, but we have not had an incident besides a gal slipping in the aisle at another location. That's been all," said Eisenhart.

Eisenhart says they take many precautions to ensure fan safety. Trucks are routinely inspected. Also the first four rows of seats are taped off just to be safe.

"We think our venue is very safe and all the shows we do are very safe," said Eisenhart.

The accident isn't keeping fans away from this weekend's truck rally. Fans on Friday say they recognize it was a freak accident.

Subsequently, Eisenhart says "Ticket sales have been tremendous so it looks like people are going to come out if the weather holds out aand people are going to come out in full force."

Eisenhart says despite the downturned economy, ticket sales have remained strong. That's something even he has been surprised by.

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