Lake Havasu boat crash: Race team finds the positive
LAKE HAVASU, Ariz. - Video of a speedboat racing across Lake Havasu and flying high and flipping upside down is going viral.
FOX 10 is talking with the team behind the boat that's finding the bright side to this scary moment.
Speedboat flips in Lake Havasu as racers attempt to break speed record
Two speedboat racers were able to walk away relatively unharmed after a viral speedboat crash on Lake Havasu.
What they're saying:
Of course, the best part is the two drivers got out of that boat alive.
They also ended up winning the race. The prize money goes to their charities, which is exactly the reason why they race.
Don’t let all the optimism fool you though. This was a terrifying scene to witness.
Take Scott Noland's word for it. He saw it.
"It made an explosion sound that I can’t even describe to you, other than it sounded like a bomb went off," he said.
That was his reaction to the 200 mph speedboat crash on Friday, April 25, at the Desert Storm Race at Lake Havasu.
Noland was on the water and says, "This boat was coming down the course very, very fast."
He was in his pontoon boat when it happened.
"It was just the scariest thing, as a boater, that I’ve witnessed," Noland said. "I thought that there would be no possible way for that to be a survivable accident. But, from what I’m hearing, they hit the water upside down at 165."
The drivers, who wish to remain anonymous, survived. They walked away with a broken collar bone, a couple of broken ribs and a fractured knee.
Dig deeper:
"You know, that’s just how we park that thing sometimes. There’s nothing you can do about it. Might have been upside and backwards across the finish line, but we did win the event," said Ryan Olah, a Freedom One Racing crew member.
Freedom One Racing is thankful its drivers emerged from the beat-up boat still breathing.
Some spectators say it was irresponsible because the wind could have carried the boat into the crowd.
"It’s bad for the industry when this happens, because it just brings a downer on everything. All these people come here for a great time. Nobody wants to see a boat accident," Noland said.
The video went viral over the weekend, bringing attention to its 501-C nonprofit that raises money for a variety of charities, including St. Jude’s and Wounded Warriors.
The team went home with the prize, donating $20,000 dollars to good causes.
"The fact that it went as viral as it did, really just helps us set in stone that we’re on a good mission. We’re doing the right thing. There’s a reason those drivers survived. I think it's to keep going, to keep going forward and to keep raising money for charity," Olah said.
Big picture view:
The specialized speedboat went from 40 mph to 200 mph, but it hit a spot on Lake Havasu where the cove is and where the wind comes up from the south.
As soon as air packs under the hull, there’s not much you can do about it. It happens in a split second.
Freedom One Racing says it’s a risk that’s always a part of racing.
What you can do:
Click here if you'd like to donate to the charity.