My father had a pretty serious accident yesterday.
I don't know all the details, but his formula junior went off the track just before the uphill at Lime Rock, went sideways, caught the grass, and rolled about three times.
Dad's pretty banged up, with a broken right scapula, three broken ribs, a broken L2 vertebra, and a bruised/slightly punctured right lung. His head and neck are completely fine.
The car is completely destroyed, pretty horrific to see actually.
I guess what I'm learning from the accident and its results is just how imperative proper safety precautions are, and how ridiculous it is for people to ignore them. I've always felt this way, but this accident was as clear a picture as possible to paint. The steel floor and roll bar we installed in the car are the only things that did not bend, and that probably played a bit part in saving Dad's life. His harness held him in place, his arm restraints saved his arms from serious damage, and his HANS saved him from a broken neck.
Two years ago at Lime Rock, a Pre-War driver was killed in a similar accident because he did not take the proper safety precautions. I'm going to be applying to become a tech inspector soon and I can guarantee you there will be no leeway when it comes to items like these. It's idiotic that it even has to be said, but this is all the evidence anyone should need.
The crappy thing for me was I heard someone rolled, then found out it was Dad, then saw the car before I saw or heard anything about Dad. Not a good time.
I'm not totally sure why I'm posting this, except maybe for cathartic reasons and to drive the point home that you should never skimp on safety if you're hitting the track (or even driving around on the road--people still drive without seatbelts!!).
-Mike
I don't know all the details, but his formula junior went off the track just before the uphill at Lime Rock, went sideways, caught the grass, and rolled about three times.
Dad's pretty banged up, with a broken right scapula, three broken ribs, a broken L2 vertebra, and a bruised/slightly punctured right lung. His head and neck are completely fine.
The car is completely destroyed, pretty horrific to see actually.
I guess what I'm learning from the accident and its results is just how imperative proper safety precautions are, and how ridiculous it is for people to ignore them. I've always felt this way, but this accident was as clear a picture as possible to paint. The steel floor and roll bar we installed in the car are the only things that did not bend, and that probably played a bit part in saving Dad's life. His harness held him in place, his arm restraints saved his arms from serious damage, and his HANS saved him from a broken neck.
Two years ago at Lime Rock, a Pre-War driver was killed in a similar accident because he did not take the proper safety precautions. I'm going to be applying to become a tech inspector soon and I can guarantee you there will be no leeway when it comes to items like these. It's idiotic that it even has to be said, but this is all the evidence anyone should need.
The crappy thing for me was I heard someone rolled, then found out it was Dad, then saw the car before I saw or heard anything about Dad. Not a good time.
I'm not totally sure why I'm posting this, except maybe for cathartic reasons and to drive the point home that you should never skimp on safety if you're hitting the track (or even driving around on the road--people still drive without seatbelts!!).
-Mike
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