MILAN, Mich. — A weekend of drag racing events at the Milan Dragway in Monroe County was canceled after a deadly crash Saturday.
The crash happened just after 5:30 p.m. Saturday prior to a race, according to a media release from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office on Sunday.
Video of the incident, provided by WTOL 11 viewer Kevin Nelson, appeared to show a blue Chevrolet Camaro funny car slowly backing up on the drag strip before abruptly accelerating in reverse into a small group of people behind it.
The vehicle's engine experienced a mechanical malfunction while backing up that caused the sudden acceleration, Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough said of a preliminary investigation into the incident. The driver, Nicholas Tilley, of Holland, lost control of the vehicle as a result.
"As soon as he got out to the burnout pit, which everything looked normal up and to that point, all of a sudden, and you can hear in the video, the car went full throttle in reverse. And there's 30, 40 people standing behind that you don't see on that video," Nelson said.
Keith Hallett, 78, of Waterford, was standing near the rear of the vehicle and was hit. The Chevrolet then hit another car in the staging area before stopping.
Alcohol is not a factor, according to the sheriff's office. Hallett was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.
Hallett is Tilley's grandfather and a known member of the racing community.
"It's a tragic event. With so many victims in the situation - you have the victim: the grandfather, you have the driver, the people that witnessed the unfortunate event, the spectators and other race fans - it's just a tragedy overall," Goodnough said. "It's been a devastating impact on them. Whenever you have a loss of life, regardless of what the situation is, it's devastating on any community."
Milan Dragway is north of Dundee off of U.S. 23 in Milan Township. The races were part of the Detroit Dragway Reunion being held at the track this weekend.
Racing events for the rest of the evening were canceled. On Sunday, Milan Dragway remained closed due to "unforeseen circumstances and poor weather conditions."
The National Hot Rod Association and Monroe County Sheriff's Office are investigating the incident. The investigation is expected to last up to four weeks, according to the sheriff.
Anyone with information is asked to call 734-240-7756.
WTOL 11 reporter Michael Sandlin contributed to this report.
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