THE WIDOW OF a drag-racer who died after crashing into a wall at South Jersey's Atco Speedway is suing the raceway, claiming negligence.

Jose Cruz's 1999 Chevy Monte Carlo caught fire after he crashed into a wall during a run on the track on Sept. 15, 2010, according to the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in Camden.

With the vehicle unable to start, Cruz's son, the Atco owner and other staffers ran to help douse the flames, according to the suit, filed by his widow, Evelyn Cruz of Brooklyn.

Cruz suffered second- and third-degree burns and had both legs amputated; he remained hospitalized until his death, 10 months after the crash, at age 52, his attorney, David Ratner, said.

"When you're inviting people in to engage in what everyone knows is a dangerous activity..."

"Inviting people"? Excuse me, Mr. Crooked Liar, I mean Crooked Lawyer, no one "invited" Cruz, he chose to be there and to "engage in dangerous activity", as you call it, all on his own.

"you owe an obligation to those people who you invite and make money off of to provide the safest possible venue to do that," said Ratner, a New York lawyer. "Atco failed to live up to that obligation."

Evelyn Cruz seeks $50 million in compensatory and punitive damages from Atco and the National Hot Rod Association, the California-based group that promotes amateur and professional drag-racing in the United States and sanctions Atco races.

Jose Cruz, a janitor and a father of two grown children, was a skilled drag-racer who had experience at Atco and other tracks, Ratner said.

Joe Sway Sr., Atco's owner, denied the lawsuit claims.

"The ambulance was on scene; it has to be when we're racing. The ambulance was functional. And we have a fire-suppression system on a pickup truck, which was operational and did respond," Sway said, adding that Cruz was out of the car when the first responder got to him.

The 52-year-old speedway in southern Camden County claims to be the nation's busiest legal drag strip, due in part to crackdowns on illegal drag-racing in Philadelphia and Atlantic City.

Anyone can race, as long as he or she pays the fee, wears a helmet, has a driver's license and drives a street-legal vehicle.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20120822_Widow_of_racer_sues_speedway.html?c=r

I never realized that Atco Dragway's ambulance doubled as a fire truck! Am I missing something here? I was under the impression that the ambulance's crew were on the premises to treat crash victims (if treatable on the scene) and/or take them to the hospital but according to this absurd lawsuit, they're supposed to put out fires, too!

Pete