Fatal Crashes in Open-Wheel Race Cars: A Fan’s Take – Yahoo! Sports
In the wake of the death of Dan Wheldon, a popular and talented IndyCar driver, here is information about his and four other drivers’ fatal crashes that occurred while racing in open-wheel race cars. Open-wheel racing is inherently dangerous due to the speed and the usually open cockpit.
Dan Wheldon
Just 11 laps into the final race of the 2011 season on October 16, 2011, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a crash occurred involving 15 cars. Dan Wheldon was unable to avoid the wreck and his car went airborne. After hitting the catch fence, his car caught fire. Rescue crews got him out of the car and rushed him to the hospital, but he died within two hours from massive injuries. He had won the Indy 500 and been up for a $5 million bonus. The race was canceled after the horrific, fiery crash, which required replacement of sections of the track. He was a much loved driver who was only 33. Fans, drivers and workers who witnessed the crash will never forget it.
Pierre Levegh
In what is perhaps the most horrific accident in auto racing history, Pierre Levegh and more than 80 others died during the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1955. He was driving a Mercedes-Benz, and going around 120 miles per hour, when the car in front of him slowed and went around a car heading to the pits. Levegh had time to signal to the car behind him to slow down before Levegh clipped the car in front of him. He lost control and ended up airborne. The car disintegrated showering the crowd with debris. The race was not stopped.
Pat O’Connor
In May of 1958, 29 year old Pat O’Connor appeared on the cover of “Sports Illustrated”. Just four days later, he was killed in a crash during the first lap of the Indianapolis 500. He was unable to avoid two cars that were crashing. O’Connor’s car flipped and caught on fire. No one was able to get to him in time, and it is speculated that he was dead before the car was engulfed in flames. It was a horrific accident that ended up involving 15 cars. After the track was cleared, the race continued.
Jeff Krosnoff
In 1996, during a Canadian CART race, which was the predecessor to the IndyCar Series, 31 year old Jeff Krosnoff was killed in a grisly crash that also claimed the life of track worker Gary Avrin. Krosnoff’s car made contact with another car and Krosnoff’s car flipped into the air. The car hit the concrete barrier and slammed into a light pole that was inside the fence but behind the barrier. He was killed when the car hit the pole and medical teams at the track were unable to do anything to assist him.
Jim Clark
In a Formula 2 race in Hockenheim, Germany, in 1968, Jim Clark was killed in a road course accident. The car’s tires slipped and he left the road. Clark’s car flipped before hitting a tree sideways. The car ended up in pieces and Clark had been killed instantly. There are two markers at the track in memory of Clark. One is easily accessible and located near turn two. The other is a cross located at the spot where his car came to rest. This marker is in the woods.
Kristin Watt has been a fan of motorsports since she was a young girl and she watched NASCAR races with her mother. That love of NASCAR quickly evolved into a great enjoyment of many different motorsports including everything from local dirt track action to the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans to the adrenaline rush of the extreme motocross events. She has been following motorsports for many years.
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