IndyCar driver Justin Wilson dies of head injury

[JRD77VET]

IndyCar driver Justin Wilson dies of head injury

IndyCar driver Justin Wilson has died from a head injury suffered when a piece of debris struck him at Pocono Raceway. He was 37.




This photo taken Aug. 23, 2015, shows Justin Wilson, of England, driving during the Pocono IndyCar 500 auto race in Long Pond, Pa. Wilson has died from a head injury suffered when a piece of debris struck him at Pocono Raceway. He was 37. IndyCar made the announcement on Monday, Aug. 24, 2015, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.(AP Photo/Derik Hamilton



IndyCar made the announcement on Monday night at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Wilson is a British driver who lived outside Denver in Longmont, Colorado. He was hit in the head during Sunday's race by piece of debris that had broken off another car. Wilson's car veered into an interior wall at the track, and he was swiftly taken by helicopter to an Allentown, Pennsylvania, hospital.

The last IndyCar driver to die because of an on-track incident was Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon, who was killed in the 2011 season finale at Las Vegas after his head hit a post when his car went airborne.

IndyCar driver Justin Wilson dies of head injury | Comcast

[JRD77VET]

[VetteBoy1979]

Damn. Prayers for Justin's family.

[Milton Fox]

[RedLS1GTO]

Saw that earlier.

Had hoped for the best after the initial reports...

[JRD77VET]

Originally Posted by RedLS1GTO

Saw that earlier.

Had hoped for the best after the initial reports...

The hospital he was airlifted to is local to me. it's a very good hospital so he did have a good chance.

Very sad

[ASTROCREEP]

I think it's about time to close these cockpits. With this tragic loss and what happened to Massa. The drivers need more protection.

Godspeed Justin Wilson

[Thunder22]

Sad.

RIP

[Admiral Blue]

Man. I saw the replay tonight. How unfortunate and awful.

[VatorMan]

[JMC12]

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- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/her....2Dkge9uB.dpuf

IndyCar driver Justin Wilson died Monday after he sustained a head injury during a crash at the Pocono Raceway, The Associated Press and his family reported. He was 37.

Known, as ESPN describes him, as the “Gentle Giant” of racing, Wilson got his start racing Go-Karts at the age of 9 at his home in Yorkshire, England. He raced in the European Formula One series in 2003 and then moved to the United States. His quiet demeanor, analytical skills and strong technical abilities earned him the respect of his peers in both the Champ Car and Indy Car circuits, where, according to ESPN, he racked up 174 career starts and earned eight career poles, with 47 top-5 finishes and 94 top 10s.

Wilson lapsed into a coma after being struck in the helmet by a piece of debris at Sunday’s race at the Pocono Raceway. IndyCar announced his death Monday.

"This is a monumentally sad day for INDYCAR and the motorsports community as a whole," IndyCar CEO Mark Miles said in a statement. "Justin's elite ability to drive a race car was matched by his unwavering kindness, character and humility – which is what made him one of the most respected members of the paddock. As we know, the racing industry is one big family, and our efforts moving forward will be focused on rallying around Justin's family to ensure they get the support they need during this unbelievably difficult time."

NASCAR drivers such as Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick soon took to Twitter to send their condolences:

“Thoughts and prayers to his family, friends, and to the @IndyCar family.#RIPJustinWilson — Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) August 25, 2015”

According to a family statement, Wilson is survived by his parents, Keith and Lynne; his wife, Julia; and his brother Stefan.

[NDMIKE88]

[Black94lt1]

[Kerrmudgeon]

.......not even involved in the accident and boom. I thought all these HANS devices and helmets were supposed to protect against stuff like that? They said the impact knocked him out?

[boracayjohnny]

Originally Posted by Kerrmudgeon

.......not even involved in the accident and boom. I thought all these HANS devices and helmets were supposed to protect against stuff like that? They said the impact knocked him out?

It's an open cockpit. It may have been the hard nose cone that struck him. So, hard nose cone with contact speed of 150mph guesstimate and open cockpit....not good.

[VITE1]

[RedLS1GTO]

Originally Posted by Kerrmudgeon

.......not even involved in the accident and boom. I thought all these HANS devices and helmets were supposed to protect against stuff like that? They said the impact knocked him out?

If you watch the video you can see something physically hit him and go flying up into the air.

HANS prevents the head from going forward in the event of an impact (what happened to Dale Earnhardt). Helmets have limitations. Physics and biology always win in the end. A hard, heavy piece of something hitting at speed is not going to end well.

As said before, Massa's incident immediately came to mind. Luckily in that case, the results weren't quite as bad.

Sad day for all.

[09SilverC6]

he lived about 30 miles north of me.....

['77Babe]

[onedef92]

That was a tremendous impact. Is it possible said object penetrated the "softer" visor part of the helmet, too, allowing for optical/brain penetration?