A rather disturbing accident happened at the Baja 500 this year, as a man foolishly ran onto the track and was hit by Robby Gordon while racing against a competitor.

While what happened afterwards is a bit unclear as desert dust obscured the scene, it is evident that spectators quickly rushed to help the man right after the collision happened. There has been a lack of reports on the incident, but sources say the man survived with only a broken leg; it could have been a lot worse.

As bad as it was for the man hit, the incident is also a highly unwanted skid mark on Robby Gordon’s career history. It should go without saying, don’t run in front of oncoming vehicles.

Unfortunately this was not the only incident at the Baja 500 this year. The San Diego Reader reports that 8 people, 4 of whom were children, were also hit when a vehicle over-corrected and crashed into a utility pole due to brake failure.

All involved in the crash were admitted to the hospital, but luckily there were no serious injuries, however the utility pole that was hit did cause a power outage that further delayed the race events.

It can be rare for these types of events to go without incident, but thankfully they were far less severe than what could have happened. Racing in Baja has long been fraught with danger, both for racers and spectators alike. In your personal opinion, would having more safeguards and regulations in place stop these incidents? Or is this simply the nature of the race? Let us know in the comments below.

The vehicle involved in the utility pole accident, photographed post-crash.