Gene Hambrecht died in 2020 after the truck he was driving got in the path of two cars illegally racing in Santa Ana, California.
His wife, Pat Buchanan, told a throng of reporters April 29 that the last time she saw her husband alive was as she was heading out from their home to pick up groceries and told him: “I love you. I’ll be right back.”
The driver of the car that collided with her husband in the fiery crash that took his life, is now charged with murder.
Street racing, where drivers drive at high speeds on public roadways racing one another or driving alone, recklessly at high speed—often doing “donuts” spinning in circles—has exploded in popularity since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to an all too often occurrence of innocent bystanders and street racers dying as a result.
To curb the activity, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office has teamed up with Sung Kang, who played Han Lue in the “Fast & Furious” movie series, and Cody Walker, the brother of the late Paul Walker, who was one of the film’s main stars, as well as other advocates like Buchanan, to launch an anti-street racing campaign called “Keep it on the Track.”
All were on hand April 29 to announce the campaign and stood before a number of the high-end cars.
“These are some of the beautiful, most powerful instruments and vehicles you'll ever see,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. “These vehicles can also kill.”
Spitzer, who is up for re-election in June, said the issue has become rampant.
“Street racing and street takeovers today in our nation—and quite frankly—all across the world,” he said, “it’s out of control, and we know it.”
The campaign features a video, encouraging drivers to be responsible, and will air on cable news stations across the United States, and perhaps internationally.
Kang said what happened to Walker, his close friend, could have been avoided.
“I had a lot of reservations being the face of this [campaign] because I make movies about going fast and furious,” he said. “Who am I to preach on this? But I did lose a brother, that’s real.”
Walker, 40, died in 2013 when he was a passenger in a Porsche, which was racing at high speeds. The car crashed into a concrete lamp post and tree and burst into flames. He left behind a 15-year daughter.
“There’s no Part Two. It’s over and I wish I could just hang out with my friend,” Kang said. “Man, just keep it on the track. [Street racing] seems cool until it’s all over.”
While Spitzer said his office will continue to prosecute those caught racing, public education on its dangers is necessary because you “cannot prosecute your way out of a crisis.”
“[Street racers] are literally going out on our streets and they are ignoring the safety risks that they’re posing,” he said. “They’re hurting people and they’re killing people on our roads. They only care about the adrenaline rush in which they experience when they drive these high-powered cars.”
Also on hand was Lili Trujillo Pucket, who founded the nonprofit Street Racing Kills after her 16-year-old daughter Valentina was killed in 2014 while asleep in the back of a car after its driver decided to race another car. During the race, the driver ran a red light and crashed into an SUV, killing Valentina.
“Never did I ever think I was going to outlive her. We are not supposed to bury our children. Our children are supposed to bury us,” Trujillo Pucket said. “Had [the driver not accepted] that challenge to street race, my daughter would be here with me right now.”
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office encouraged those looking to race to go to the Irwindale Speedway, which offers a safe environment for racing vehicles.
