Crew chief Frankie Kerr injured after car falls on top of him
— -- BRISTOL, Tenn. -- TriStar Motorsports crew chief Frankie Kerr has suffered a broken back three times while racing sprint cars.
So when a 3,300-pound car fell on Kerr on Friday, breaking his right scapula and severely bruising his sternum and ribs, the 56-year-old crew chief for driver Cole Whitt had no second thoughts of showing up for work Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway.
"It's no different than [my injuries in] old Saturday night racing," said Kerr, whose four sprint car championships have earned him a spot in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. "I've broke my back three times and that's the second time I've broke the scapula. It's nothing new.
"It never entered my mind [to go home]. I just won't be able to help on the car as much. I'll do what I can and call the race and go home and thank God we have a week off [next week]."
Because Bristol does not have garages, the teams work on pit road prior to and during practice Friday.
"The jack was up, and the jack stand was going under and I saw the jack stand going under, so I went under [the car]," Kerr said.
"It must not have been high enough, and they hit it again with the jack and that's when it fell over and the jack stand wasn't in. It landed on me and basically squeezed the air out of me."
The team jacked the car off of him, and Kerr was taken to the hospital. He was released Friday afternoon.
"You're on pit road, so it's not very level -- stuff rolls and moves," Kerr said. "I was just trying to work and stuff happens."
Kerr said he also suffered some cuts and there is an exact line from the edge of the front splitter going across his body. He had his right arm in a sling Saturday because of the broken scapula and didn't seem happy about even that.
"If it was up to me, I wouldn't have it on now," Kerr quipped.
Related Stories
ABC News Live