Court: Mud buggy race operators not negligent in crash

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A state appeals court says a jury properly ruled the operators of an Eau Claire mud buggy race weren't negligent in a crash that cost a spectator a leg.

A buggy flew into the crowd during a 2012 race and struck Shawn Wallace. He lost one of his legs below the knee.

Wallace sued, alleging the track's owner, Chippewa Valley Antique and Engine Model Club, Inc., and the race's sanctioning body, Central Mudracing Association, Inc., were negligent.

A jury in 2016 found neither entity was negligent. Wallace appealed, arguing he should have been allowed to introduce evidence from a 2005 crash.

The 3rd District Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that the 2005 crash wasn't similar enough to the 2012 incident to warrant inclusion.

Wallace's attorneys had no immediate comment.

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