http://www.crashesonline.com/menu_crashes.htm
I fight myself on things like this. I'm not a gore-monger, and I don't think that site tries to over-sensationalize. A part of me feels there's an importance to remembering the tragic, especially in today's sanitizing society. Each time I watch a fatal accident, my stomach sinks. I've always been into photography, and have appreciated its historical significance. This reminds me a little bit of the time immediately after 9/11. I wanted to find a video record with all the footage on it, to keep as a historical record for myself. I, like most others, have specific sensations burned into my memory from that day. You could almost sense the feeling of "we'll show it to you now, and then it'll never be seen again" when airing it. There's no real respectful way to review something like this. Just as long as we don't forget about these brave drivers who lost their lives along the way.
Yeah it's a pretty high impact crash. I doubt he ever felt a thing. I wish he was still around today just to hear his comments on todays racers.
I didn't know there was a video of the gonzalo rodriquez crash.Damn it was bad too.I saw Greg Moore's live and it was horrible.It was also the highest G load every recorded in a crash at that time.
Tom Pryce's 1977 crash is just horrible. I wonder what made the marshals think it was ok to run to the other car. I pray that these incidents serve as reminders to us just how dangerous racing in general can be when taken for granted. Please be careful...
I saw that wreck from the quick and the dead but I didn't realize until today that the driver of the car was killed as well. I thought only the marshall was killed.It was a perilous period in auto racing.
According to the book "Countdown to a Grand Prix", Tom Pryce was struck in the face by the 20 pound fire extinguisher carried by the track marshal, with enough force to catapult the extinguisher over the top of the main grandstand. I haven't seen the video, and don't want to see it.
I was shocked about Gilles Villeneuve. You can actually see him flying out of the wreck and into the fence. Very sad.
The fire crashes make it so more visible that during track events EVERYBODY should wear a fire suit and fire protection. We had some club fires before and the suit can save your life in an inferno. It gives you the extra seconds to get out..
First time I've ever seen the crash that killed Greg Moore. Contrast that with how hard Jimmy Johnson hit the wall at Watkins Glen. I was starting to be a big fan of Greg Moore when he passed.
I have to say I think Senna's crash LOOKED mild compared to others where the whole car has been twisted catapulted and torn to bits and the drivers walk away. I had just gotten into indie car and was routing for him and montoya but when i saw him crash and then montoya went to F1 and ive not watched indy since. I was gutted cos I used to watch the way he clawed his way through the pack in a lot of races, I actually missed him since and indy lost its sheen for me.
Not really (relatively speaking). Even with 1994 safety standards being nothing close to how they are now, Senna's crash was still completely survivable. He hit the wall at 190kmph at an angle of around 60 degrees. The driver compartment remained fully intact, and Senna suffered no broken bones as a result of the impact. What killed him was a piece of the front right suspension flying up into his visor spearing him just above the right eyebrow; a total fluke occurance (as this had never happened before, and has never happened since). Even though this object had penetrated his skull and damaged the front of his brain, he was still technically alive (as the frontal lobe is not required for basic life functions) and in a deep coma. He only died when they pulled the plug from the life support machines in hospital when they realised that there was almost no chance of him recovering.
It's interesting you should mention that, because when Jos Verstappen's car was engulfed in flames at Hockenheim in 1994, he said that while sitting in the inferno his visor had begun to melt... the fire was that intense! Despite this, it was put out in about 10 seconds and Verstappen escaped without any burns. There is no doubt that his fire-retardent clothes saved him from serious injury or death. Also fire-related, look at Berger's accident at Imola in 1989. I think the video is posted on the website above; definately take a look! It's interesting because he crashed at Tamburello (where Senna died) except this time Berger went off into the wall at closer to 300kmph. The car slid to a stop before the fuel tanks (surrounding the car in those days) burst into flames. Forntunately again, his safety gear and quick response from fire units saved his life. Here is a link with details and photos of both accidents, and some of the other most noteable Formula 1 accidents in the last 20 years. http://www.f1rogues.com/index.php?pOption=retrocrashinvestigator&pLang=EN&pCatagoryId=11 Below are photos of Verstappen's 1994 pitlane accident.
