A nearly $6 million settlement was announced Wednesday in several lawsuits stemming from a 2010 off-road racing crash during a Johnson Valley off-road race that killed eight people and injured 12 others. The agreement was finalized during a mediation hearing Tuesday according to attorneys. Plaintiffs will receive $5.825 million in the settlement, which still must be approved by the Department of Justice. The federal Bureau of Land Management will pay the bulk of the money, $4.825 million, and race organizer and promoter, Mojave Desert Racing Inc., will pay its insurance policy limit of $1 million. The Aug. 14, 2010, accident occurred during the California 200 on BLM land in the Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Open Area. A modified Ford Ranger pickup driven by Brett Sloppy of San Marcos went off course during a jump and landed in a crowd of spectators next to the racecourse. Lawsuits filed were consolidated in Los Angeles federal court. Originally named as a defendant, Sloppy was dismissed from the litigation earlier this year. Months after the accident the BLM released a critical report that found the agency did not follow its own standard procedures for permitting the event. As a result numerous changes were implemented. The amount of insurance that race organizers are required to carry was also substantially increased.
