TacoXpo
HOAX DENIER
Driving a Ferrari as though it will handle and behave as my Tubo Honda... (I don't have a Honda
)
I don't think they were protecting the engine and transaxle.
Not the place for a race seat to end up!
Prosecutor: Car going 100 mph in TapouT crash
By LARRY WELBORN
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
SANTA ANA – Skid marks on the pavement show that a Costa Mesa man was driving his white Porsche at speeds in excess of 100 mph in Newport Beach when he lost control and crashed into the red Ferrari he was racing, an Orange County prosecutor told a jury here Tuesday.
That initial collision sent the Ferrari spinning into a concrete light pole on Jamboree Road with such velocity that it sheered the high-performance sports car in half and instantly killed its driver, mixed-martial arts entrepreneur Charles Lewis Jr., Deputy District Attorney Jason Baez said
Jeffrey David Kirby, 53, the driver of the 1977 Porsche, knew that driving drunk was dangerous, because of a prior DUI arrest, but chose to do so anyway, Baez said in his opening statement of Kirby's vehicular manslaughter trial.
Two hours after the March 11, 2009 crash, Kirby registered a 0.13 blood/alcohol level, more than 1.5 times the legal limit for driving, the prosecutor added.
Baez will ask the jury at the conclusion of evidence to convict Kirby of one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence while intoxicated, one count of driving under the influence causing bodily injury, plus sentencing enhancements for fleeing the scene and causing great bodily injury to multiple victims.
Defense attorney Mark Fredrick acknowledged in his opening statement that Kirby had been drinking before the 1 a.m. crash, and that he has a prior DUI conviction in Orange County.
But Fredrick insisted that Kirby "did not cause the accident that killed Charles Lewis that night."
Instead, the defense attorney contended, Lewis caused the collision when he tried to zip by Kirby's Porsche "at a speed that was absolutely frightful."
Kirby saw the Ferrari coming on fast in his rear-view mirror and attempted a quick lane change to get out of the way but instead started to spin, Fredrick claimed.
Lewis was going so incredibly fast, Fredrick insisted, that he could not avoid the Porsche as he tried to blow by.
Fredrick also told the jury that Kirby did not know that he had collided with the Ferrari until hours later, believing that he had only struck a curb when he spun out.
Kirby, who stopped in his Porsche for three to five seconds after he came to a stop, did not see the crashed Ferrari, Fredrick said, even though the car was split in two and the concrete light standard was toppled.
Firefighters and rescue workers had to dismantled the car to remove Lewis' body. Lewis had no drugs or alcohol in his system when he died, according to toxicology reports.
Lewis was better known as "Mask," a charismatic entrepreneur who turned a side job selling T-shirts promoting mixed-martial arts out of a van into a multimillion dollar company. His death shocked the mixed-martial arts community and came at a time when his clothing company, TapouT, was projected to post $225 million in annual sales.
After his death, Lewis was posthumously inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in July 2009, the only non-fighter ever inducted.
Lacy Lynn White, Lewis' girlfriend, was seriously injured in the crash when she was ejected from the Ferrari and landed on a sidewalk. She suffered broken vertebrae, a broken hip, and a shattered elbow, among other injuries. White was transported to Western Medical Center to be treated for a fractured elbow and several lacerations and abrasions.
With gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated – the primary charge -- Baez must prove that Kirby drove while under the influence, committed an infraction – in this case speeding – with gross negligence, and caused the death of another person. The law also requires the prosecution to prove that Kirby was a substantial cause of the accident.
While Lewis may have contributed to the collision by racing with Kirby, Baez contends, the crash would not have occurred without Kirby's negligence.
Kirby faces a maximum sentence of 19 years and eight months in state prison if convicted on all counts.
A Story on the Procecusion of the Tapout Guy
http://www.ocregister.com/news/kirby-278123-lewis-ferrari.html
I don't think they were protecting the engine and transaxle.
Not the place for a race seat to end up!
Prosecutor: Car going 100 mph in TapouT crash
By LARRY WELBORN
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
SANTA ANA – Skid marks on the pavement show that a Costa Mesa man was driving his white Porsche at speeds in excess of 100 mph in Newport Beach when he lost control and crashed into the red Ferrari he was racing, an Orange County prosecutor told a jury here Tuesday.
That initial collision sent the Ferrari spinning into a concrete light pole on Jamboree Road with such velocity that it sheered the high-performance sports car in half and instantly killed its driver, mixed-martial arts entrepreneur Charles Lewis Jr., Deputy District Attorney Jason Baez said
Jeffrey David Kirby, 53, the driver of the 1977 Porsche, knew that driving drunk was dangerous, because of a prior DUI arrest, but chose to do so anyway, Baez said in his opening statement of Kirby's vehicular manslaughter trial.
Two hours after the March 11, 2009 crash, Kirby registered a 0.13 blood/alcohol level, more than 1.5 times the legal limit for driving, the prosecutor added.
Baez will ask the jury at the conclusion of evidence to convict Kirby of one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence while intoxicated, one count of driving under the influence causing bodily injury, plus sentencing enhancements for fleeing the scene and causing great bodily injury to multiple victims.
Defense attorney Mark Fredrick acknowledged in his opening statement that Kirby had been drinking before the 1 a.m. crash, and that he has a prior DUI conviction in Orange County.
But Fredrick insisted that Kirby "did not cause the accident that killed Charles Lewis that night."
Instead, the defense attorney contended, Lewis caused the collision when he tried to zip by Kirby's Porsche "at a speed that was absolutely frightful."
Kirby saw the Ferrari coming on fast in his rear-view mirror and attempted a quick lane change to get out of the way but instead started to spin, Fredrick claimed.
Lewis was going so incredibly fast, Fredrick insisted, that he could not avoid the Porsche as he tried to blow by.
Fredrick also told the jury that Kirby did not know that he had collided with the Ferrari until hours later, believing that he had only struck a curb when he spun out.
Kirby, who stopped in his Porsche for three to five seconds after he came to a stop, did not see the crashed Ferrari, Fredrick said, even though the car was split in two and the concrete light standard was toppled.
Firefighters and rescue workers had to dismantled the car to remove Lewis' body. Lewis had no drugs or alcohol in his system when he died, according to toxicology reports.
Lewis was better known as "Mask," a charismatic entrepreneur who turned a side job selling T-shirts promoting mixed-martial arts out of a van into a multimillion dollar company. His death shocked the mixed-martial arts community and came at a time when his clothing company, TapouT, was projected to post $225 million in annual sales.
After his death, Lewis was posthumously inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in July 2009, the only non-fighter ever inducted.
Lacy Lynn White, Lewis' girlfriend, was seriously injured in the crash when she was ejected from the Ferrari and landed on a sidewalk. She suffered broken vertebrae, a broken hip, and a shattered elbow, among other injuries. White was transported to Western Medical Center to be treated for a fractured elbow and several lacerations and abrasions.
With gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated – the primary charge -- Baez must prove that Kirby drove while under the influence, committed an infraction – in this case speeding – with gross negligence, and caused the death of another person. The law also requires the prosecution to prove that Kirby was a substantial cause of the accident.
While Lewis may have contributed to the collision by racing with Kirby, Baez contends, the crash would not have occurred without Kirby's negligence.
Kirby faces a maximum sentence of 19 years and eight months in state prison if convicted on all counts.
A Story on the Procecusion of the Tapout Guy
http://www.ocregister.com/news/kirby-278123-lewis-ferrari.html
Last edited: