Lauda photo I've never seen

1st to me.

I thought it was as you said.

 

I thought it was as you've said also except for the last rites were done at a hospital.

 

Oh God. Don't want to imagine what he was going through.

 

I have his book 'Meine Story'. I'll try and scan the passages where he describes the accident & aftermath.
Kevin

 

In a contemporary trauma setting, the key to the survival of that patient is going to be early intubation. If that did not happen, then I can see last rites being given down the line.

 

amazing photo. I too had thought he was unconscious/unresponsive at the scene.

anyone know who the drivers are surrounding him?

 

Jee poor fella, would hate to know what he was going through

 

Lauda's car swerved off the track, due to a suspected rear suspension failure, hit an embankment and rolled back into the path of Brett Lunger's Surtees-Ford car. Lauda's car burst into flames, but, unlike Lunger, he was trapped in the wreckage. Drivers Arturo Merzario, Guy Edwards and Harald Ertl arrived at the scene a few moments later, but before they and Lunger were able to pull Lauda from his car, he suffered severe burns to his head and inhaled hot toxic gases that damaged his lungs and blood. Although Lauda was conscious and able to stand immediately after the accident, he later lapsed into a coma and a priest administered the last rites.

Looks like Edwards in the blue driving suit with back to camera, as the fifth driver in shot. His Hesketh-Ford had Penthouse Rizla sponsorship, as did Ertl's but Ertl had darker hair and a beard. Still there's some doubt which of the two that is.

Definitely present were Lunger, Ertl, Merzario and Edwards. They can't all be in shot though as I believe thats Emerson on the right with Copersucar on his driving suit.
Could work out who's who with a bit of effort.
Is that a driver or track-worker bending in the background? Can't tell if thats a cap or helmet.

 

Thats a massive pic...

 

Lauda was the original iceman, he was probably thinking about magnums and cola.

 

I think you're 100%. Imho, L-R; Ertl, Lauda, Edwards, Arturo in the strobe helmet, Lunger and Emmo, track worker in black jacket.

 

I have an idea what he was going through, but it certainly got worse as time passed. You do not feel much with third degree burns as the nerves tend to be destroyed. Initially the first and second degree burns hurt the most. I am still taking pain pill nearly two year's later for my third degree burns, I am lucky mine were not all on my face.

I often thought of Lauda while I was in the hospital. His strength and desire gave me incentive. I took the photo below of him when he returned to the Ferrari after being released from the hospital a few months later.

In photos he autographed previously for me, his name was off to the side. When he autographed this photo, it was right across his face.
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I think he was awake and talking in the ambulance to the hospital... it was several days later that he was in critical shape as his lungs started to fill up with liquid from the scarred burns...

 

You've got a better memory than me. Took a while to remember Arturo's helmet design and other details from back then but think you've nailed it.

Hard yards dealing with the psychological dimension to his facial scarring in the glare of the full media spotlight. Every little change in his behaviour was public property as he struggled with it.
One can't but sympathise and have respect for his determination to press on and drive.
Certainly lesser souls would've been forgiven for hiding away at that point.

 

never seen that photo.

 

Ron - I would bet not too many people know your crash story. (unreal story; glad your here!)
You should post the link.
Kevin

 

I'll never forget Lauda's comment about his sponsor Romerquelle trying to lower his fee for the following year because, in his view, they thought he would never appear in public without a hat.

That's an amazing picture btw.

 

Having just today seen references to Ron's crash in 2 diff threads I was just about to do a search. Boxer crash I believe?

 

Yes; Boxer crash in Florida. I can't search (on my phone); but I remember the thread. Very bad crash...

 

I am surprised that some of you remember my experience of July 1, 2007. I had first and second degree burns on my face and the top of my head. I was hit while stationary in my beautiful 512BBi. My lower legs and right arm got the worst of it. In the first two weeks, my close friends thought my face would be "deformed", that's the way I heard the story. During this time is when I kept thinking about Lauda and my brief time with him after hs accident.

During the first week I spent in the hospital the attending surgeon told me not to worry about my face, not that being on two types of oxycotin and having a morphene tube in my vein let me have many worries, but he said I got for free what many women paid $3000 to receive. That didn't make it hurt less.

But Lauda, many permanent scars to his face and his ear. I can feel the pain. What absolute guts and determination. They did not have the level of burn care in the 1970's they have today. And then he was back in one of those uncomfortable Nomex's in a few months and racing again. I still have trouble with long sleeved shirts. At least my accident was 10 minutes from one of the few burn centers in the USA, not in the middle of a race track, possibly without burn experts in the nearest hospital.

The photo of Lauda that started this thread sure brought back a lot of memories. I can understand if he really asked about his face. You are in shock, you can see your car in flames in the distance, your mind gets kind of weird. You are not feeling the pain as of yet. It hits about 6 hours later. When I first got hit, my car was surrounded by flames, for a few seconds I thought I must be a stunt man doing a movie.

Anyway, Lauda is a true sportsman, a true fighter, and one of the few real race drivers of the last 50 years. Best of all, he faced his fears, he admitted he was scared to death the first return race, but he kept pushing and pushing. I could not walk for months, yet this guy gets back into a race car within 6 months of his accident. What huge cojones! The pain he endured while racing must have been incredible. I highly recommend broken bones over burns.

While in my daily therapy, I told Lauda's story to many young patients in the burn ward at Jackson. I hope it sunk in as it did for me.

I am enternally thankful to Martin and Gaby. And to Niki Lauda's determnation.

 

If I remember this story correctly, Lauda's helmet was knocked off either completely or partially in the impact, exposing his face to the flames. Again, I may be wrong about this, but I seem to remember that one of the fuel tanks from the Ferrari was torn off and ended up quite a distance from the rest of the wreck, or it would have burned even worse.

 

I recall the photos you posted of your car and I remember you mentioning having difficulties extricating yourself from the wreckage. Glad you're with us, recuperating and feisty as ever One terrifying incident.

 

Thanks for that. This used to be a really beautiful car:
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Hard to believe it was two years ago. Glad your still with us.