Our son has his first bad crash this past Saturday at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, WA. He is the white #19 car with blue wing. We owe his still being here to his safety gear, and his chassis manufacturer.

Maxim Chassis
Butlerbuilt full containment seat
Hooker Harness
Hans
and last but not least - Simpson Race Products for their helmet he was wearing.

He is doing fine and returned to school today to finish up final exams, but I drove him to school just to be safe. Initially he said everything was OK, but lost his vision a few minutes later for just a short time, and concussion symptoms showed up a little while after that. I was the guy jumping the fence to get to him, and hearing his voice was an indescribable feeling - as you can imagine.

The entire car was litterally destroyed (engine as well)from contact with the downtubes and front cage uprights to the concrete wall edge and catch fence posts. While he does sit very low in the car, this car does have a halo bar installed, and I really feel that kept much of the intrusion from the fence and posts into his head to a minimum. Not trying to argue for or against a halo - just saying.

I know many of the wrecks are bad,(the other driver was reportedly OK too) and this one seems much worse due to the fact it was my son and it happened literally at my feet, but I just wanted to show the video to those who think a full containment seat or Hans is to confining. When I got to him, he was thinking about his front tire not being where it should be. We laughed about that later, along with watching the confetti of fiberglas and aluminum rain down on the backstretch after the contact. And no, we didn't get to save the full bladder of fuel either.

Take care and be safe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZBRUO-wVFs

Glad your son is OK!
Thanks for sharing the video and pointing out that a halo bar works!

That was a tough one. I'm glad he's OK!

I am also glad your son is all right! That sure looked like a scary accident, I am a firm believer the equipment can always be replaced if you have the desire. My main concern when I witness an accident like your son's is for the driver, God was certainly riding with your son that evening. Thank you for sharing the video and account of the accident with us.

Patti

HANS device certainly did its job there. Glad to hear he is ok!

glad he is ok, the sudden stops are always bad. I would much rather see the car roll down the straight away

I am also glad to hear that your son is okay. I hope you can "reload" and get back to the racing scene very soon. Thanks for sharing the video.

Even though I've talked with some oldtimers who say they've never gotten upside down. Its gonna happen, The chance is always there. Use every safety device you can get your hands on.

That being said, Thanks for letting us know and Im glad he will be fine. The vision and concussion thing is a precaution every safety crew should take into consideration even if a driver jumps out and declairs themselve fine. The should be under observation for at least a half a hour. At least by a member of the team or family.

Chuck, sorry about the car but the most important thing went to school

Just make sure before he straps in again that he has a new helmet. That one did its job. Sign it and donate it to the next charity auction.

Belts, too.

---------- Post added at 05:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:20 PM ----------

I can identify with your feelings!

My son Erik backed his IMCA winged sprint into a highway barrier at the edge of the run-off area at Arlington (MN) Speedway in 2005. It was estimated that he was traveling in excess of 70 mph when he hit, making first contact with the rear bumper & tank. He hit so violently that the tank bladder acted like a protective water barrel, exploding in a cloud of methanol spray. Thankfully there was no ignition!

I my haste to get to & save my son, I managed to flip my 600# atv over on myself. Two bystanders thoughtfully rolling it back over & I continued on my quest. I was the second to arrive on the scene & when Erik saw me, his first words were, "OOPS!". It was good to see he still had his sense of humor.

Other than a mild concussion & a minor contusion to his back caused by the rear brake disc, Erik was fine. Dad managed to survive both his unskillful atv operation and the angry lecture from Mom that followed the evenings events.

Cars can be fixed or replaced. People are what's important!

Good Luck!

steiny