Death at the Glen, Drivers School

NYSpeed Automotive
1

read…

http://forums.audiworld.com/s4/msgs/2069695.phtml

Although I have the required minimum of a collar brace I can’t help but consider setting aside $1,000 of mod money and buying a HANs.

P.S. I hate this cross posting crap.

2

ouch that sucks

3

As much as a HANS device protects you, in that particular accident it wouldn’t have helped at all.

There is a lot of information missing from that article.

From talking to people that were there (instructor, etc.):

Second hand word thru those that were there:

Green run group, had done DE’s prior. Into the boot, no brakelights according to those following and corner workers, straight on into the barrier. Significant speed there.

Driver was 61 and diabetic. Likely had a medical event.

With the humidity we’ve been having in the area, and his medical condition, I would guess some sort of brain fade happened. He probably lost concentration at the wrong time. :frowning:

Important stuff here- full face helmet was ripped off his head by airbags. No Hans.

The reason I don’t think a HANS device would have saved him is

  1. He was in the Green group. That’s beginners. That leads to:

  2. Car was only equipped with standard seatbelts. HANS device depends on multiple belts to support it. You can’t just wear it and think you’re protected.

The HANS device would have done absolutely nothing for this driver given the circumstances.

I’m not saying a HANS device isn’t good to have, I’m just commenting on the very effective marketing strategy that, without fail, results in someone chanting “HANS, HANS” whenever an accident occurs and either praises the device for saving the day in what was surely an otherwise fatal accident or lamenting the lack of the thing if someone is injured. There’s no doubt the thing has an important role, but it’s not as universal as many would like to believe.

This accident happened on the most difficult part of WGI: The Boot.

The corner where this happened is one that I dislike; left hander, off camber, and decently fast. It also has no runoff to speak of

4

From what I read he was not in the off-camber, he was in the laces.
The off-camber is at the end of the boot, the laces are right after the start of the boot.

5

I’ll make sure to be careful esp. around that turn

6

Sad. At least he died doing what he liked though