Yahoo Finance 1 Killed in Pyrotechnics Accident at Air Show, Father Says He Was 'Living the Dream'
Today
One person has died following an accident at the Field of Flight Air Show & Balloon Festival in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Chris Darnell, 40, was driving the SHOCKWAVE Jet Truck when he was involved in an accident around 1:10 p.m. on Saturday during the pyrotechnic portion of the show, according to a statement from the Battle Creek Police Department and the man's father.
The vehicle can go over 300 mph, according to police.
Videos of the incident show two planes flying overhead as a truck races down the runway below them. At first, some flames appear on top of the the truck as it zooms below the planes, though moments later the whole vehicle seems to become engulfed before flipping onto its side.
According to Darnell's family, one of the truck's tires blew out and caused the vehicle to "skid" and for the "gas tanks to burst," which ignited the fire, the TODAY show reported.
Darnell had been involved in motorsports his whole life, per a bio on the SHOCKWAVE Jet truck website. He had competed in a variety of racing events from drag racing to circle track.
RELATED: Teen Suffers Serious Injuries in Shark Attack at Florida Beach: 'It's a Tragedy,' Says Sherif
"He has literally done it all," the bio said.
In a post to the Shockwave Jet Truck & Flash Fire Jet Trucks Facebook page, Chris' father Neal Darnell said the cause of the accident was a "mechanical failure."
"Regretfully Chris Darnell the driver and my youngest son passed away from his injuries at approximately 1:01 pm," he wrote Saturday night. "No one else was involved."
The post continued, "We are so sad. Just one month ago Chris turned 40. He was so well loved by everyone who knew him. Chris so loved the Air Show business. He was 'Living the Dream' as he said."
Shockwave Jet Truck Chris Darnell
According to Battle Creek Police, the incident was being investigated by their department as well as the Battle Creek Fire Department and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Battle Creek Police and Fire departments did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's requests for comment; the FAA told PEOPLE that they do not investigate "vehicle accidents."
RELATED: No One Hurt After Massive Fire Breaks Out at Maryland Summer Camp
On Sunday, the festival wrote on Facebook that the air show that day would be "flown In the Memory of Chris Darnell."
"The Darnell's have been a part of our event numerous times over the years and our hearts have been with them since the incident occurred," the post continued.
The post explained that, following the event, two bands raised a combined $2,000 from their concerts for the Darnell family.
"The Sam Luna Band donated their paycheck to the Darnell Family and put a bucket out for donations," the post said. "The Megan Rae Band (Megan Rae Fans) followed suit with the bucket. Over the course of the two concerts last night, over $2000 was raised."
The festival began on June 30 and concludes Monday.
