Debate Rages Over Injury Prevention

Dale Earnhardt was considered the meanest, toughest racer in the history of motorsports, but it appears he died Sunday the same way so many of his peers perished: From massive head injuries resulting from a head-on collision with a concrete wall.

Earnhardt, the seven-time Winston Cup champion and one of the most charismatic stars in his sport’s history, is believed to have died instantly on a last-lap crash at the Daytona 500. He had to be cut from his car after ramming into the wall at about 180 mph on the final turn.

At least one participant in the race said the tragedy will cause drivers to reconsider a safety device that may have prevented Earnhardt’s death.

“We’re going to have to take a look at some of the safety issues,” said Todd Parrot, the crew chief for Dale Jarrett. “My driver tested the HANS (Head And Neck Safety) device over the summer, and he will not get in the car without it now. If Dale [Earnhardt] had that on, we’d probably be looking at a different situation.”

Although an autopsy won’t be performed until today, Earnhardt’s death likely resulted from the same type of injuries that killed three NASCAR drivers last year, according Dr. Steve Bohannon, an emergency physician who tried to revive Earnhardt.

Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin and Tony Roper all died last year from injuries resulting from violent head movement--injuries the HANS might have helped prevent. The HANS was designed to lessen the pressure on the most vulnerable part of the body--the neck and base of the skull--the type of injuries that apparently killed all four drivers. NASCAR has decided not to make it mandatory without additional testing.

“My speculation as an emergency physician would be head injuries, particularly at the base of the skull, ended his life,” said Bohannon, the medical services director at Daytona International Speedway. “He was unconscious and unresponsive from the time of the first paramedic’s arrival at the scene and remained that way throughout.

“He had blood in his ears and blood in his airway that we see with basal skull fractures. I don’t know if the HANS device would have helped or not. I suspect not.”

However, Earnhardt’s death comes in the wake of a six-month investigation by Tribune Co. newspapers that showed basal skull fractures and similar injuries caused by violent head movement have been the most common cause of death among race drivers over the past 10 years--the same time span in which the HANS has scientifically proven to prevent such injuries.

Many drivers say the HANS is too bulky and uncomfortable, and only seven competitors in Sunday’s 43-car field were wearing the device.

In the aftermath of such a tragedy, there will undoubtedly be questions about whether Earnhardt’s death could have been prevented if NASCAR had moved quicker to implement two safety breakthroughs--the head-restraint device and “soft wall” technology that would greatly lessen the impact of cars hitting concrete.

So soon after Earnhardt’s death, NASCAR president Mike Helton didn’t comment Sunday on what his organization might do to increase safety measures.

“We don’t know a lot right now,” Helton told reporters. “We don’t know enough to answer all your questions.”

Most drivers were unavailable when news of Earnhardt’s death was announced by track officials, but they were clearly upset with some of the rule changes NASCAR made to bunch up the cars and make the Daytona 500 more exciting. Earnhardt’s wreck was the second serious crash of the day. The first one was a 19-car accident that sent Tony Stewart to the hospital with a concussion.

The aerodynamic changes to the cars came in response to criticism at last year’s 500, which was called one of the most boring in the history of NASCAR’s showcase event.

Ironically, Earnhardt was one of the biggest critics of last year’s race.

“I don’t think this is what he (Earnhardt) had in mind,” Jarrett said of the racing conditions Sunday. “I’m sorry, but that’s not racing.”

Said Jeff Burton: “It’s inevitable. You can’t put that many people in one pack and expect that something is not gonna happen. I know it’s exciting to watch and I understand that last year’s races weren’t as exciting as they needed to be, but they’re down there cutting the roof off Earnhardt’s car and Stewart’s in the hospital.”

Added Mark Martin: “We were all just an accident waiting for a place to happen out there today.”

“It’s a very sad thing that we haven’t gotten as far as we need to get,” John Melvin, a renowned safety expert who has worked with several NASCAR teams, said from his Michigan home Sunday night. “This is an example of why we should continue to move as fast as we can. But we can’t move too fast.

“Unfortunately, that may be a positive result from this. You have to have this kind of impetus to cause the drivers to work a little harder to make this work.”

Bob Hubbard, a biomechanics professor at Michigan State University, helped develop the HANS. He was at the speedway last week, working with teams to try to find a comfortable fit.

Brett Bodine is one of the drivers using the U-shaped device that fits around the neck and attaches to the helmet with two straps. He wouldn’t consider getting in his car without it.

“We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to make the car go faster,” Bodine said. “To not look at safety the same way we look at performance seems pretty stupid to me.”

Melvin, however, agreed with NASCAR’s decision to make the HANS voluntary, not mandatory.

“If you mandate this and it conflicts with the driver’s ability to control the car, then all of a sudden you’ve made things worse,” Melvin said.

Former Winston Cup star Ned Jarrett, the father of Dale Jarrett, wondered if NASCAR went too far with its efforts to slow speeds and produce tighter racing.

“NASCAR does a good job of keeping the competition as close as it can,” Ned Jarrett said. “They might have gone a little bit overboard here at Daytona.”

Melvin said it’s too early to begin demanding a measure that might prevent another tragedy.

“There’s a tendency to talk about solutions right up front,” he said. “Right now, we need to respect the man and recognize all he represented. He was an amazing individual.”