What to do in a crash?
03-07-2009, 04:51 PM
#31
03-07-2009, 04:55 PM
#32
Race Car
Aside from the Lebowski-like calm of the driver accepting the fact that he's about to go into the wall 400 miles from home with no trailer, the thing I like about this picture is that it shows the expanding gasses generated by the tires and the track actually moving ahead of the slide. (The car is sliding, at a pretty good clip, in the direction the driver is looking.)
Because it was a tire wall, the force of the impact wasn't very great. But I remember the confusion immediately after -- I felt something wet on my shoulder and face. At first I thought it might be blood, which didn't make any sense. Then I realized that the tires catch water in the rain, and I'd been baptized in some of the stagnant stuff that'd gathered in the curve of the sidewalls. Ick.
The car made it back on the track in about an hour. Some spray-paint can caps kept me legal for the long drive home.
The part that hurt the most was paying for a new coat of paint.
Because it was a tire wall, the force of the impact wasn't very great. But I remember the confusion immediately after -- I felt something wet on my shoulder and face. At first I thought it might be blood, which didn't make any sense. Then I realized that the tires catch water in the rain, and I'd been baptized in some of the stagnant stuff that'd gathered in the curve of the sidewalls. Ick.
The car made it back on the track in about an hour. Some spray-paint can caps kept me legal for the long drive home.
The part that hurt the most was paying for a new coat of paint.
03-09-2009, 10:17 AM
#34
If you are concerned about what to do with your arms,wear arm restraints.(Ask Geoff Bodine after his truck crash at Daytona a few years back)
If you are wondering about what just came through your window and splattered all over your face,stop wearing an open face helmet.IMHO you shoudn't be wearing one anyway.
Seem like pretty straight forward solutions to me.
If you are wondering about what just came through your window and splattered all over your face,stop wearing an open face helmet.IMHO you shoudn't be wearing one anyway.
Seem like pretty straight forward solutions to me.
03-09-2009, 06:14 PM
#36
Rennlist Member
03-09-2009, 06:19 PM
#37
Race Car
good advise on waiting for corner workers, Except when there's a Fire.
sometime there's a 2nd impact, & last thing you want is to be exiting the car when another impacts.
^ note where the workers parked their cars.. they were luck SOB's
sometime there's a 2nd impact, & last thing you want is to be exiting the car when another impacts.
^ note where the workers parked their cars.. they were luck SOB's
07-14-2010, 11:44 PM
#39
Three Wheelin'
When I hit the ARMCO on the outside of turn 2 at IRP (or whatever that track is called now.) I reached up and snugged my shoulder harnesses. Helped, I think. When I hit the wall at Heartland Park in a rented Civic at about 70 or 80 mph, all I did was yell "Not the wall". Boy that one hurt for about 2 weeks. Then when I had to pay the guy that owned the car, it hurt all over again.
Bill
Bill
07-15-2010, 10:29 AM
#40
Drifting
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Before crossing arms, TURN OFF THE ENGINE & ALL ELECTRICAL POWER.
and relax - much less painful the next day.
As somebody who has crawled out of a car covered in dripping fuel (we rolled and rolled and rolled off a mountain), I am glad I remembered to cut the electrics and relax - previously I had visualised doing this (dont't ask me why, I was a Boy Scout) and it worked.
R+C
and relax - much less painful the next day.
As somebody who has crawled out of a car covered in dripping fuel (we rolled and rolled and rolled off a mountain), I am glad I remembered to cut the electrics and relax - previously I had visualised doing this (dont't ask me why, I was a Boy Scout) and it worked.
R+C
07-15-2010, 02:59 PM
#42
Rennlist Member
I can only remember my 10,000lb dead lift (tighten up technique) as I hit the sears point wall at 80mph after a lapped honda lost control going half my speed and shot across the track and took me out. I broke a rib from that race seat I had that had very low sides. The sides dug into my ribs upon impact and broke one as the impact was at a 45 degree angle to the wall. the new seats are much better these days.
07-15-2010, 04:55 PM
#43
Had a rear wheel bearing failure going through South Bend at VIR, which wound up with the car running backward, downhill, and on a closing course with the tire wall. Spent most of my time trying to calm down the student in the right seat, who was more than a little freaked out. Impact seemed to take a long time, but was severe when it came. I was fully back in the seathands a feet safe, and remarkably relaxed [and so was he, kinda]. Car almost went over, but settled back ON the tire wall [all four wheels off the ground]. Not even a minor injury, but the chassis was toast.
I still beat myself up for not trying harder to 'rear steer' away from the wall.
While we're on this, instructors beware: Right seat in air bag equipped cars can mean side airbags mounted right behind that handy dandy arm rest that so many instructors like to hold. Don't do it. We had an instructor sustain very severe injuries to his right arm [several surgeries, a year of treatment & recovery] when the side airbag fired right through his forearm. Keep it in mind!
I still beat myself up for not trying harder to 'rear steer' away from the wall.
While we're on this, instructors beware: Right seat in air bag equipped cars can mean side airbags mounted right behind that handy dandy arm rest that so many instructors like to hold. Don't do it. We had an instructor sustain very severe injuries to his right arm [several surgeries, a year of treatment & recovery] when the side airbag fired right through his forearm. Keep it in mind!
07-15-2010, 10:43 PM
#44
Rennlist Member
Reading all this I am glad I have a halo seat, its not comfortable but it fits me like a glove and I have like an inch of movement on each side of my head. I use the Hutchens hybrid which has lateral support too. All good Ideas on the big impact. I put that in the back of my head. When I went off at Turn 3B at mid ohio with the 3 my impact was about 60mph. thankfully it was a tire barrier. It was still enough to know the wind out of me.
07-15-2010, 11:40 PM
#45
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timely
as of this wekend, I can add:
temporary total blindness as I regained consciousness
Berlins edema - focal loss of vision in one eye which should clear
tatoo on chest outlining Hans, which if I did not have on, I would not be writing this
temporary total blindness as I regained consciousness
Berlins edema - focal loss of vision in one eye which should clear
tatoo on chest outlining Hans, which if I did not have on, I would not be writing this