Mark in Baltimore

Thanks. I read that info in one of the posted links but was curious as to the extent of his injuries. It sure looked like he had been broiling for a while.

mrbill_fl

Wow, really bad fire fighting technique... especially for those in full bunker gear. (pro's)
unable to get close enough to hit the base of the flames... and no coordinated attack.

Those suits should have been sufficent to step into that fire.

a good video for Drivers schools.

Bryan Watts

I would assume he's very severely burned. Suits are rated for something like 6-12 seconds of exposure with only 2nd degree burns (working from memory here, so I could be off).

Bryan Watts

Pisses me off that crew members in short sleeves are the ones jumping into the flames to pull the guy out. Saw the incident from another angle and you can see multiple firemen in full suits with extinguishers sort of trotting up the pit lane, unsure whether they want to go over the wall or not. In one case, a crew member runs up to the fireman, rips the bottle out of his hand and takes off over the wall to fight the fire.

Bryan Watts

Watch around the 37 second mark:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXjzO...layer_embedded

RollingArt

Just brutal.

Hoping for as speedy a recovery as possible for the driver.

Also hoping we never have to witness another like this.



Phil

mrbill_fl

Oh yeah, notice the guy in white shirt taking the bottle from the orange suit (FIA safety?) and tries to attack the base, on the RT Rear, but the heat forces him to the other side.

if you've ever been close to a FUEL fire, you know... the heat is really Incredible!

But thats no excuse for the guys in full fire gear. They should have plenty of experience being in that type of heat... the only thing I didn't see was an air bottle (breathing apparatus). but still they could have gone in for 10-15 seconds, (about half the time length of those 10# bottles)

At SCCA Fire and comm. school (all volunteers!) they show you how to go in side by side fanning downward toward the flames.... (ie, coordinated attack)

just a **** poor performance by the fire crew...


This driver is just lucky the wind was blowing toward the passenger side.


lesson learned: wear the nomex underwear!

jrgordonsenior

Or better yet the Carbon X material...

Cage appears intact, I want to know how he came out of his containment seat and harness?...

sbelles

What's with the guys trying to extinguish the downstream fuel 15' away from the car?

Larry Herman

The lack of training and direction by track-side support is obvious. The 3 most important things to do in such a situation are:

#1 Save the driver
#2 Save the driver
#3 Save the driver

EVERY extinguisher should have been on him or fighting the fire around him until they got him out.

mark kibort

unreal. that is just sickening to watch.

note to self. dont race a lambo. that thing fell apart like i was made of tooth picks.

Bryan Watts

The car falling apart is fine by me...absorbs a lot of energy. The shoulder belts coming loose and the fire are the things that concern me. Those aren't necessarily Lambo specific problems, but rather problems with the way this car was built and the parts that were used.

RJFabCab

Holy impact. Prayers to the driver and his family.

People should be running like BANSHEES to protect the driver. The cockpit is engulfed in flames and the first guy on the scene heads straight for the rear of the car?

How often do belts completely shear in impacts? Both upper belts? Perhaps a latch failure or failure of the shoulder harness mounting points?

D@mn scary.

mrbill_fl

fwiw, I had a set of TRW twist lock /latch that were pretty easy to unlatch... (latch was a raised lever (proud))

(my current shroths are a much better design)

I wonder if thats what happend... he managed to unlatched them in the crash.

Bryan Watts

It only takes one upper belt to break to allow your entire upper body to come "out".