The only thing especially dangerous about Thompson is that it's the fastest track in New England. Therefore, when an accident happens, it's more likely to be serious. I wasn't there, but I've talked to people who were and read a number of descriptions of the incident. Shane went over a wheel, up in the air, and over the wall. It appears he never touched the track surface or the wall. I guess you could blame the billboard he hit, but at the speed he was going, he probably would have hit something very hard, even if the bill board wasn't there.

I'll bet that, if he had survived, there would be people saying, "Thank goodness for that billboard. It caught him before he hit the ground."