R.I.P. Dan Wheldon

[ATLL765]

He may have been the best driver in the world at one point. Doesn't change the fact that Tony Stewart is a bit overweight now and would never even be considered for such racing anymore. I mean seriously, I'd like to know if he could even fit in an Indy car or F1 car. In a sport so dependent on keeping weight down, you can't have a driver that's carrying around an extra 25-50 pounds on his waist or else that weight is going to end up with you having a slower car than everyone else. Argument over.

 

[Tommyboy]

^ Look no further. This was from this year too. When you've got 900hp, a little extra weight isn't going to kill you. Tonys time was faster than Lewis Hamiltons too, and that dude is really skinny.

 

[gdstaples]

HANS DEVICE - Basilar Skull Fracture

What im wondering is whether they will release the video from his in car camera right before the wreck the tv was actually riding with him. The Autopsy said he died of blunt force head trauma which I found interesting because that means the HANS device did its job in preventing a basular skull fracture, the picture im getting is that his head must have hit the catch fence. What im getting at is that if he was in a close cockpit car he very well might have suvived.

Just an FYI - Basilar skull fractures can happen with or without a HANS device depending upon which bones are broken. Basilar skull fractures include the posterior skull base or anterior skull base. The HANS device is primarily designed to protect the Temporal bone which is associated in about 75% of racing fatalities, however the Occipital bone, Parietal bone, Sphenoid bone, Ethmoid bone and Frontal bone's are also variations of Basilar skull fractures and can happen without the whipping motion associated with deceleration.

While most basilar skull fractures are fatal, Ernie Irvan (NASCAR) and Phillippe Streiff (F1) survived basliar skull fractures.

It appears that Dan Wheldon did most likely die of a type of basilar skull fracture but more than likely died from a frontal impact basilar skull fracture that likely damaged an artery as many arteries run very close to the bones listed above. For example; a displacement fracture of the Temporal bone often results in instant death due to dissection of the carotid artery or carotid canal fracture.

So just be aware that basilar skull fractures can also happen from contact and non-whipping motions like many may perceive.

It is fairly apparent that when viewing some of the HD footage that Wheldon's helmet impacted the vertical post holding up the catch fence, much like Jeff Krosnoff in Toronto.

Duncan

 

[cj]

^^^
Good to know thanks for the info.