Earnhardt, Jr. - unconscious from that wreck??

[conjur]

Just saw the clip on ESPN.

Wow! He barely hit the wall (was with the full-side of the car...more of a glancing blow). And he was unconsicous when crews arrived? Can't help but wonder if his safety gear (harness, etc.) failed somehow?

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: conjur
Just saw the clip on ESPN.

Wow! He barely hit the wall (was with the full-side of the car...more of a glancing blow). And he was unconsicous when crews arrived? Can't help but wonder if his safety gear (harness, etc.) failed somehow?

What looks like a little tap to those watching is usually a lot worse for the driver. I realize it doesn't look bad but it can be fatal.

He'll be ok according to CNN.

 

[conjur]

Oh, I know...but seriously. I've seen guys plow nosefirst into the wall, or flip end-over-end 5, 6, 7 (or more) times and get up out of the car and walk away.

 

[Kaervak]

He suffered a concussion last year also. Residual effect maybe.

Oh <Typical ATOT Jackass> Duuuurr, NASCAR is for rednecks. Anyone can turn left for 500 miles. Duuuuur. </Typical ATOT Jackass>

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: conjur
Oh, I know...but seriously. I've seen guys plow nosefirst into the wall, or flip end-over-end 5, 6, 7 (or more) times and get up out of the car and walk away.

Richard Petty (1970)?

 

[Ladies Man]

could have been out cold before he hit the wall

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: Iron Woode

Originally posted by: conjur
Oh, I know...but seriously. I've seen guys plow nosefirst into the wall, or flip end-over-end 5, 6, 7 (or more) times and get up out of the car and walk away.

Richard Petty (1970)?

That's the first thing that comes to mind.

 

[ElMono]

That wreck may not have looked bad but he was going well over 140 mph when he started spinning. And the fact that he hit squarely on the driver's side also takes into effect how much a wreck hurts. Plus, the walls at Dover are steel boiler plate so it doesn't absorb any of the impact. So tell me you wouldn't be able to stay conscious with all those G forces going through your body. An accident similar like that happened to a driver named Jerry Nadeau back in May and his car had to be cut into and his body lifted out. He suffered from brain injuries and lung injuries and he's been out for all this season. And, yes, I watch NASCAR.

 

[thedarkwolf]

When they hit nose on there is more car there to absorb the impact. When they hit flat side on like that there isn't much absorbing going on. Kinda like the wreck that nearly killed Jerry Nadeau earlier this year. It didn't look that bad either.

Going to be nice once they get the safer walls up on all the tracks.

 

[conjur]

Well, by the time his car hit the wall I bet the car had slowed to, maybe, 100mph (the right front tire had gone down, and the car was spinning). And, he didn't hit the wall straight-on but only at an angle (like sliding along it) so it wasn't a 100mph collision.

Just makes me wonder about the setup/condition of his harness and other parts of the car.

 

[tarheelmm]

I cant beleive that a non-bashing NASCAR thread was started.


Confirmed on NASCAR.com that he does have a semi-concussion. Wonder what kind of crap this time since it was not announced last time.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: ElMono
That wreck may not have looked bad but he was going well over 140 mph when he started spinning. And the fact that he hit squarely on the driver's side also takes into effect how much a wreck hurts. Plus, the walls at Dover are steel boiler plate so it doesn't absorb any of the impact. So tell me you wouldn't be able to stay conscious with all those G forces going through your body. An accident similar like that happened to a driver named Jerry Nadeau back in May and his car had to be cut into and his body lifted out. He suffered from brain injuries and lung injuries and he's been out for all this season. And, yes, I watch NASCAR.

the car may have been travelling straight at 140 but the velocity vector normal to the wall certainly wasn't 140.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: ElMono
That wreck may not have looked bad but he was going well over 140 mph when he started spinning. And the fact that he hit squarely on the driver's side also takes into effect how much a wreck hurts. Plus, the walls at Dover are steel boiler plate so it doesn't absorb any of the impact. So tell me you wouldn't be able to stay conscious with all those G forces going through your body. An accident similar like that happened to a driver named Jerry Nadeau back in May and his car had to be cut into and his body lifted out. He suffered from brain injuries and lung injuries and he's been out for all this season. And, yes, I watch NASCAR.

the car may have been travelling straight at 140 but the velocity vector normal to the wall certainly wasn't 140.

It was still plenty fast to knock someone out.

 

[ElMono]

Originally posted by: conjur
Well, by the time his car hit the wall I bet the car had slowed to, maybe, 100mph (the right front tire had gone down, and the car was spinning). And, he didn't hit the wall straight-on but only at an angle (like sliding along it) so it wasn't a 100mph collision.

Just makes me wonder about the setup/condition of his harness and other parts of the car.

100 mph hit flat on with a steel wall is still a heck of a hit. It wasn't a cut tire that sent him spinning, his car was very loose, he went high to avoid Ryan Newman, who was starting to lap him. My guess is Dale Jr was driving the car too hard to prevent himself from going a lap down and lost control of the car. He went way above the groove, spun, and hit the wall dead on. The replays show the car was flat against the wall when he hit. There's nothing on the driver's side to absorb the impact of something of that magnitude. And, trust me, if his equipment wasn't working right in that car with an impact like that, he would be in worse shape. Of all people, I think Dale Jr would be the one who makes sure his equipment is all hooked up properly after his father's death.

 

[ElMono]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

the car may have been travelling straight at 140 but the velocity vector normal to the wall certainly wasn't 140.

I never said that he was going 140 mph when he hit the wall, I only said he was going 140 when he started spinning.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: ElMono

Originally posted by: ElFenix

the car may have been travelling straight at 140 but the velocity vector normal to the wall certainly wasn't 140.

I never said that he was going 140 mph when he hit the wall, I only said he was going 140 when he started spinning.

yes, i know, but it doesn't change the fact that he didn't hit the wall with all that much speed. you said in your previous post that it may not have looked bad but blah blah going 140. i guarantee that a car from another major series the driver would have been just fine hitting that wall (except for maybe in dale jr's particular case where he may have reaggravated a previous concussion). but this is twice now? did the other guy have a previous concussion? has nascar ever conducted a series of scientific crash tests to figure out how to engineer a car better? i mean, this is their talent we're talking about, and they seem to care little for the driver's safety. i doubt he was moving 100 mph toward that wall like you just posted.

 

[Eli]

It's amazing these guys live through any of these crashes really.

When are we going to have normal cars where people regularly walk away after crashing at 140mph?

If you crashed a Civic at 140mph(assuming you could even get it up to that fast), there would be nothing left.

 

[ElMono]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: ElMono

Originally posted by: ElFenix

the car may have been travelling straight at 140 but the velocity vector normal to the wall certainly wasn't 140.

I never said that he was going 140 mph when he hit the wall, I only said he was going 140 when he started spinning.

yes, i know, but it doesn't change the fact that he didn't hit the wall with all that much speed. you said in your previous post that it may not have looked bad but blah blah going 140. i guarantee that a car from another major series the driver would have been just fine hitting that wall (except for maybe in dale jr's particular case where he may have reaggravated a previous concussion). but this is twice now? did the other guy have a previous concussion? has nascar ever conducted a series of scientific crash tests to figure out how to engineer a car better? i mean, this is their talent we're talking about, and they seem to care little for the driver's safety. i doubt he was moving 100 mph toward that wall like you just posted.

For the speed, I was only guessing, but with a spin like that, he was still going really fast. I'd still like to see you try withstanding the G forces of that hit. As I've said before, there is nothing to absorb the impact on the driver's side against the wall like that except for the Head And Neck Safety device and the rib protectors. NASCAR is still testing more and more safety features at their, yes they have one, research and development center where they do crash tests to test cars. They care very much for the drivers' safety, which is why all these safety features have come about since Dale Earnhardt's death. Most of the things they have protecting the driver now didn't exist in the cars before 2001. In fact, just this last race, they started banning racing back to the caution so no one would get wrecked in the process and safety crews could get to the wrecked cars faster.

And this other guy you're speaking of, are you talking about Jerry Nadeau? No, he had no previous concussions or anything like that before his hit in Richmond in May. Have you seen the footage of the hit? It was definately dead on with the driver's side with the door. Ever since NASCAR installed black boxes in the cars, Nadeau's hit has been the most violent hit ever. I think it was about a 60 G hit. Driver's side. Against a concrete wall.

 

[ElFenix]

good thing it took the death of their most visible driver to get them to wake up and finally start testing and accept the black boxes. heck, a few years ago the police wanted to investigate a crash and couldn't because nascar had already crushed the car and buried it.

 

[Kev]

the crash where dale sr. died didn't really look that bad compared to the explosions and flips i've seen most drivers survive

 

[ElMono]

Yes, I agree, it is sad it took the death of one of the most popular drivers in NASCAR history for them to make these changes, but at least they did. It's made the sport much safer, although the loss of Dale Earnhardt could have been prevented.

As for the flip and such from other wrecks, their impacts are absorbed by the fact the car doesn't stop dead, they keep rolling and the rolling prevents the driver from absorbing too much of the impact.

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: ElMono

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: ElMono

Originally posted by: ElFenix

the car may have been travelling straight at 140 but the velocity vector normal to the wall certainly wasn't 140.

I never said that he was going 140 mph when he hit the wall, I only said he was going 140 when he started spinning.

yes, i know, but it doesn't change the fact that he didn't hit the wall with all that much speed. you said in your previous post that it may not have looked bad but blah blah going 140. i guarantee that a car from another major series the driver would have been just fine hitting that wall (except for maybe in dale jr's particular case where he may have reaggravated a previous concussion). but this is twice now? did the other guy have a previous concussion? has nascar ever conducted a series of scientific crash tests to figure out how to engineer a car better? i mean, this is their talent we're talking about, and they seem to care little for the driver's safety. i doubt he was moving 100 mph toward that wall like you just posted.

For the speed, I was only guessing, but with a spin like that, he was still going really fast. I'd still like to see you try withstanding the G forces of that hit. As I've said before, there is nothing to absorb the impact on the driver's side against the wall like that except for the Head And Neck Safety device and the rib protectors. NASCAR is still testing more and more safety features at their, yes they have one, research and development center where they do crash tests to test cars. They care very much for the drivers' safety, which is why all these safety features have come about since Dale Earnhardt's death. Most of the things they have protecting the driver now didn't exist in the cars before 2001. In fact, just this last race, they started banning racing back to the caution so no one would get wrecked in the process and safety crews could get to the wrecked cars faster.

And this other guy you're speaking of, are you talking about Jerry Nadeau? No, he had no previous concussions or anything like that before his hit in Richmond in May. Have you seen the footage of the hit? It was definately dead on with the driver's side with the door. Ever since NASCAR installed black boxes in the cars, Nadeau's hit has been the most violent hit ever. I think it was about a 60 G hit. Driver's side. Against a concrete wall.

You should check out Petty's crash.

It is the reason why people have to be a certain distance from the track and why the walls are there and heavy fencing.

 

[Led Zeppelin]

Originally posted by: Iron Woode

Originally posted by: conjur
Oh, I know...but seriously. I've seen guys plow nosefirst into the wall, or flip end-over-end 5, 6, 7 (or more) times and get up out of the car and walk away.

Richard Petty (1970)?

That also happened to Richard Petty at Daytona in like 1990 maybe? The exact year isn't coming to mind, but I remember his car flipping over end over end about 10 times and he came out pretty much without a scratch. Being a Petty fan, that was probably my scariest moment watching a Nascar race.

 

[datalink7]

Originally posted by: Kaervak
He suffered a concussion last year also. Residual effect maybe.

Oh <Typical ATOT Jackass> Duuuurr, NASCAR is for rednecks. Anyone can turn left for 500 miles. Duuuuur. </Typical ATOT Jackass>

lol... it's not that "anyone can turn left for 500 miles." I'll admit it is hard to win and keep up your concentration for that long.

The point is, why would you want to watch someone turn left for 500 miles!?!

 

[orion7144]

He had too much Bud! JK. I like most people was shocked by the replays after his father died. It did not look like a hard hit and it was on the right side of the car. If it wasn't for the Nascar coverup I'm sure we would have been told that his harness wasn't tight or something similar. Not to mention that he was still wearing the open faced helmet.