SUPPORT TROY CRITCHLEY (sign the petition)

[JONESY_XR6]

Signed...Thanx for posting Spoolman.

[DOC]

+ 1 signature

[Teddy GT]

Signed

[xw 427]

Signed!

[Geez Louise]

Thanks for posting the links up Spoolman.

Petition signed.

[OLDFORDNUT]

i didnt see this post, but my daughter found the website http://www.teambrayracing.com/newsit...on.php?msg=ADD
somewhere else and signed for myself and my other daughter..

wishing Troy all the best.

[Jason[98.EL]]

done

is now (Currently 23432 Signatures)

[EXR8ED]

Signed.

[dub racing]

Signed

[TruBlu351]

Signed 34725....climbing fast!

[SpoolMan]

update from last week, he has escaped jail in a deal with prosecutors, now the civil suites will start over $100 million.



Herald Sun
Stefanie Balogh

August 18, 2008 12:00am

THE Australian drag racer who was behind the wheel of an out-of-control Corvette that killed six people in the US has tearfully asked for forgiveness.

A month ago Troy Critchley -- known in the US as the "Burnout King" -- said he didn't believe he would ever be "man enough" to face the victims' families.

But yesterday he looked Darla Griswell in the eye and gave her the apology she had so desperately waited to hear after the June 16, 2007, accident at the Kids for Cars annual charity event in Selmer, Tennessee.

Her teenage daughters, Raven Griswell, 15, and Nicole Griswell, 19, were two of the six killed when Critchley's Corvette lost control and plunged into a crowd during a burnout, where tyres are spun to produce plumes of smoke.

Another 22 people were injured in what Ms Griswell called "4.8 seconds of stupidity", which had "completely ruined our lives".

"I got an apology from Mr Critchley and I forgive him," Ms Griswell said after meeting privately with the 38-year-old Queenslander after he appeared in court in Selmer, about two hours from Memphis.

"I just needed that. I needed it for closure. Maybe now my daughters can rest," Ms Griswell said.

"He was crying. He was very genuine. I told him I knew he did not come here intending on killing six people, but the fact remains it happened."

Critchley yesterday told a court the accident had caused "immense suffering for the families as well as the victims".

"It has caused heartache and suffering for my family also," he said. "I ask for the families' forgiveness and prayers, and I will pray for your families and loved ones and I will carry this with me for the rest of my life."

Critchley's comments came after he pleaded guilty to 28 reduced charges of reckless assault, negotiated in a plea deal that spared him from jail.

He was placed on 18 months' probation and a year's suspended jail sentence. He can now return to driving if he wishes, but his lawyer believes he may not be emotionally ready.

Critchley, who lives in Texas, was initially charged with six counts of reckless vehicular homicide and 22 counts of aggravated assault, and could have faced up to 90 years in jail.

Leaving court, a solemn and emotional Critchley thanked Australians "very much" for their support.

Ms Griswell's mother, Betty Graves, thanked Critchley for his apology.

The charges against the professional drag racer were downgraded after the families of the victims and the injured agreed to the move.

They said the end of the criminal case against Critchley would give the green light to pursue their civil legal actions totalling more than $US100 million in damages against him, the race organisers, and city officials.

Jeannie Townsend, who was one of those injured, is seeking damages for herself and her son's medical costs. The 29-year-old single mother of three lost her leg after the accident.

Her son, Brannon Vanhoose, now 6, was the youngest of the injured and his leg was broken in the crash. The boy still suffers from nightmares.

Speaking at her Selmer home, she said she did not believe the accident was all Critchley's fault, and added that it was important to move forward.

"I just don't think it's fair for him to have to take all the blame for everything," she said.

"I know he's sorry for what he did. I know this man has got to be mentally not stable after this happened because I couldn't imagine it if it was me and I killed and hurt this many people, even though he didn't intentionally do it."