NASCAR: Earnhardt Seat Belt Broken
R O C K I N G H A M, N.C., Feb. 23 -- Dale Earnhardt's lap belt was found to be broken after the stock car racing champion was fatally injured in a crash at the Daytona 500, NASCAR officias said today.
Earnhardt, 49, might have survived Sunday's crash if the belthad held, a doctor said.
"A broken left lap seat belt came apart," said NASCAR PresidentMike Helton. "We don't know how, when or where, yet. We willcontinue our investigation."
Dr. Steve Bohannon, the head of emergency medical services atDaytona International Speedway, speculated that with the brokenbelt, Earnhardt's body could have been thrown forward and to theright, sending him flying into the steering wheel.
Bohannon, who tried to save Earnhardt's life as the driver satslumped in the wreckage, said Earnhardt's chin might have hit thesteering wheel, causing the major head injury that killed him onimpact. A skull fracture ran from the front to the back of hisbrain. His sternum, eight ribs on the left side and left ankle alsowere broken.
Seat Belts Have Been Problem-Free in the Past
"If his restraint system — his belts — had held, he would havehad a much better chance of survival," Bohannon said.
Earnhardt's seat belt was made by Simpson Safety Products inMooresville, N.C., former crew chief Larry McReynolds said. OwnerBill Simpson, a former Indy car driver, did not immediately returna phone call for comment.
The company is a leading manufacturer of safety products forNASCAR.
"The Simpson belts have always been fine, never a problem,"said McReynolds, who worked with Earnhardt in 1998 when the driverwon the Daytona 500 in his 20th try.
Like most drivers at Sunday's race, Earnhardt had shunned theuse of the U-shaped HANS device — for Head And Neck Support — which many drivers find bulky and uncomfortable. The device fits around the neck and is attached by strap to the helmet and frame of thecar.
"I do support further neck and head restraints, but I'm notconvinced the HANS device would have made a difference in thiscase," Bohannon said.
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