Monster Jam engines will roar to life this weekend at the Colonial Life Arena, but it is safety — not speed — that is the main concern following two deadly accidents earlier this month.
Six-year-old Sebastian Hizey was killed by flying debris during a Monster Jam event in Tacoma, Wash. And a promoter for Motor Sports Monster Truck and Thrill Show, George Eisenhart Jr., was killed at a show last week in Madison, Wis., when he stepped in front of a truck.
Despite those accidents, no extra safety measures are being taken by Monster Jam or the Colonial Life Arena.
"Know that safety is, and has been, our No. 1 priority," said Amy McWethy, a spokeswoman for Monster Jam promoter Feld Motors Sports. "Again, we feel that the incident was tragic and that we are definitely looking into it. We feel all the safety measures we have in place do work."
Approximately three million people per year attend Monster Jam events across the country. The show has been coming to Columbia for 20 years, McWethy said, with about 15,000 attending last year.McWethy says the Tacoma accident was an anomaly.
"It was one of those things that had never happened before in 25 years of Monster Jam events," she said.
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