Saturday, February 24, 2001
Earnhardt's lap belt had broken
By Mike Harris
The Associated Press
ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — Dale Earnhardt might have survived slamming into a wall at the Daytona 500 if his lap belt had not broken, a NASCAR doctor said.
Mr. Earnhardt, who died instantly Sunday, probably was thrust into the steering wheel because he wasn't fully supported, said Dr. Steve Bohannon, head of emergency medical services at the Daytona track.
The seat belt problem — which officials said they had never seen in a half-century of NASCAR racing — was disclosed Friday.
“Mr. Earnhardt more than likely contacted the steering wheel with his chest and his face,” said Dr. Bohannon, among several safety workers who tried to save Mr. Earnhardt's life as the driver sat slumped in the wreckage. “It appears that probably his chin struck the steering column in such a way that the forces were transferred ... into the base of the skull.
“If his restraint system — his belts — had held, he would have had a much better chance of survival.”
A skull fracture ran from the front to the back of Mr. Earnhardt's brain. His sternum, eight ribs on the left side and left ankle also were broken by the impact of hitting the wall at 180 mph.
The belt he was wearing as part of his harness was designed to withstand crashes of over 200 mph.
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Earnhardt's lap belt had broken
