From Chris Swanson: scrafan.com

I spoke with Michael's Mom "Donna" today. Michael is doing Very well now. He is alert and the ventilator tube is being removed. They are starting to prep him for a move to Kaiser Hospital in Anaheim very soon. She said that a surgery will be performed to make repairs to his eye socket, but the great news is that there is no eye damage. Keep him in your thoughts and Prayers. We will keep you posted on his recovery.

Thx CS

www.swansonmotorsports.com

Im wondering if its caused at the point the teathers grab on the Hans. The heads moving forward then sudden stoppage.

Just curious and it's interesting obsevation

I appreciate the concern. Blaming brain injuries on the HANS is not appropriate. The point can be made that brain injuries that would have been inconsequential without the HANS (because they would have been found on autopsy instead of in the ICU!) are now a problem. It is most likely impact with hard objects inside or outside the cockpit that is causing the head injuries. Attention to details like lateral head restraints, an appropriate seat, head nets on both sides, and SFI-approved rollbar padding are the best places to look to reduce these kinds of injuries. Remember, issues with seat belts/harnesses can result in head/brain injuries as the driver may have enough belt stretch to allow the helmeted head to hit the steering wheel or other items within the cockpit.

Knowing the exact location of the injury within the brain, the exact type of brain injury, the details of the car, and the crash would be helpful in pinpointing the cause of injury.

I think (My Opinion here) that the helmet is either rolling forward over the head and doing the damage -OR- the helmet trys to come off the head backwards while the head is still moving forward and the bottom of the facial opening is catching the face as the opening falls over the forehead.
I still think there needs to be some development of a CageCap that offers extra protection to the top of the cage to absorb energy and cages have to be opened up and made wider ,to keep the driver away from the cage.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the forces in play in sprint and midget crashes are not unique to open wheel incidents. Force is force whether open or closed cockpit...dirt or asphalt...winged or non-winged...NASCAR or USAC. What really matters is learning how to manage the energy that needs to be dissipated in crashes. The amount of force that causes severe neck injuries, or a basilar skull fracture (what killed Earnhardt and many others) is the same no matter the vehicle involved. How that force is transmitted to the driver does vary.

Get over it folks, head and neck restraining devices save lives and reduce serious and critical injuries! Being angry about being told you need to use HANS-type devices is a waste of time!!! Spend your time learning about state of the art safety devices and concepts. Look at your belts, seat, roll cage, and the distance between the top of your helmet and the bottom of the the halo bar. Let's focus on productive efforts!

I had considered getting a Hans or similiar product because I tried one on last winter and really liked how it felt compared to my neckbrace, but after wreck this year and breaking collar bone, i don't think it would be very comforting to wear or feel very well the way it comes down in the front. the belts alone coming down drive me crazy now. Actually I am uncomfortable all the way around now, but i am Not sure of what tests have been done and what other injuries it leads to but it does look like a nice piece.

As long as Steve has been racing I think his opinion should count for something.

Jerry

I am just wondering if he had a HANS on at all. I was there and I don't know....

I have heard that a tail bumper or nerf bar got into the cockpit hitting the helmet.
If this is the case a neck device wouldn't help?

The cage cap idea may be something to look into, but making the cages bigger/wider only invites wheels, etc. getting inside and hitting the driver.

Page Jones' 1994 Four Crown injuries were caused by some of Dave Darland's car getting inside the cage, and we know how bad Page was hurt. If you recall, Page was in the Team 6R Beast that day; a chassis with a very big cage. Going back further, my dad still has his 1991 Snell-approved Bell helmet with a gaping hole in the top that was caused by the top of Byron Reed's rear bumper. That crash was in the '92 Four Crown, and the Gambler dad was in had a standard size cage. He was lucky to survive, to say the least.

There have been many others. Just food for thought on the cage idea.