I was 10 minutes south of Selmer, Tennessee this weekend at the river where the drag race accident happened last night killing six and injuring nearly two dozen. It was devastating as news of this tragedy started to spread around the region.

Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman Mike Browning said six people were killed, including two 15-year-old girls and a 17-year-old girl. The accident injured 18 others, including a 5-year-old boy, who were taken to hospitals in Tennessee and Mississippi.

Authorities on Sunday identified the driver as pro drag racer Troy Warren Critchley, an Australian who is now based in Wylie, Texas. He suffered minor injuries and was taken by car to a nearby hospital for treatment, authorities said.

There were no criminal charges against Critchley, Browning said.

The crash occurred Saturday night during an “exhibition burnout” — when a driver spins his tires to make them smoke — at the Cars for Kids charity event in Selmer, located about 80 miles east of Memphis.

Prayers to those personally touched by this freak accident and a quick recovery to those who are currently in the hospital.  The local paper The Independent Appeal should have more info on this tomorrow (notice the Prayer List tab of the paper, sure isn’t the New York Times, thank goodness).