Vehicle crashes doing ‘burn-out’ on Cruise

(Above) It’s a beauty - This 1937 “Woody” was awarded the Best of Show prize at the C.L.A.S.S. Car Club Show held Saturday in Clear Lake.  The vintage vehicle, owned by Mike Lynch, was among a record 564 entries in the annual show.-Reporter photo by Chris Barragy.

[caption id="attachment_19858" align="alignleft" width="325"] Damage was estimated at $15,000 on this 2008 Corvette, driven by Aeric Younge, after it struck parked vehicles in Friday’s cruise.-Submitted photo.[/caption]

A vehicle which spun out of control during the C.L.A.S.S. Car Club Cruise Friday night caused an estimated $25,000 damage.

According to a report filed by the Clear Lake Police Department, Aeric Younge, 46, of Hayfield, Iowa lost control of the 2008 Chevrolet Corvette he was driving in the 4600 block of North Shore Drive.  He was cited for careless driving after “operating a vehicle in a reckless, erratic, careless, negligent manner.”

Police report Younge operated his vehicle in a manner to cause unnecessary tire squealing for a distance of 346-feet.  His vehicle struck a parked vehicle, which in turn moved backwards and struck another vehicle.  Younge reportedly then accelerated forward and struck another car parked in a private drive.  Damage to Younge’s vehicle was estimated at $15,000.  Damage to the first vehicle hit was estimated at $10,000; the other two vehicles had minor damage.

The squealing of tires, known as a “burn-out” has been a concern of C.L.A.S.S. Car Club and law enforcement since the event’s inception several years ago.  As vehicles are checked into the car cruise drivers are handed information about the cruise— including a warning not to do burn-outs and a liability release form which signifies the driver’s agreement to “refrain from excessive acceleration…. and from tossing any objects, i.e. candy, flyers, etc., while enroute.”

It remains unclear if the vehicle was a registered participant in the Cruise, or whether the driver joined the event in progress.

“We want to have a safe and happy cruise.  We advise drivers not to drive erratically, despite people watching often spraying water and encouraging it,” said Club President Gary Madsen.

Madsen said more than  875 cars participated in the cruise and a record 564 took part in the Car Show in downtown Clear Lake Saturday.