Indy Driver Justin Wilson Has Died From Injuries
24 Aug, 2015
British IndyCar driver Justin Wilson died on Monday after suffering a severe head injury during a wreck in the closing laps of a race on Sunday at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania, IndyCar officials said. He was 37.
“This is a monumentally sad day for IndyCar and the motorsports community as a whole,” Mark Miles, chief executive officer of Hulman & Co, the parent of IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, said in a statement.
****Update****
Driver Justin Wilson was in a coma and critical condition after suffering a severe head injury when debris from a crash struck him in the closing laps of Sunday’s IndyCar race at Pocono Raceway.
Wilson was airlifted to a nearby hospital. IndyCar released the information on Wilson’s condition Sunday night and said he was undergoing further evaluation.
The crash occurred with 21 laps to go when race leader Sage Karam spun in Turn 1 and debris flew from his car. After being hit, Wilson, perhaps unconscious, veered off and had a head-on collision with the inside wall, which was protected by a SAFER barrier.
Medical units were quickly on the scene, and Wilson was airlifted to the Lehigh Valley Health Network Cedar Crest Hospital in Allentown, Pa.
“It’s just a tough one right now,” car owner said Michael Andretti told The Associated Press. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Justin right now. We’re going to see. Hopefully, he’s OK.”
FOX Sports’ IndyCar reporter Bruce Martin said Wilson’s car was quarantined by IndyCar officials, which is usually not done unless something serious has happened. Security blocked the roadway to the room where the car was located. Mitch Davis, team manager for A.J. Foyt Racing, who once worked for Wilson, got very somber when told that the car was quarantined.
Scott Dixon, who apparently did not know the extent of Wilson’s injuries until it was reported to him, declined to comment on the race or the incident.
Ryan Hunter-Reay, Wilson’s Andretti teammate, won the race, which was restarted. Initially happy with his victory, Hunter-Reay’s joy disappeared when he learned of the seriousness of Wilson’s injuries. He said he was going straight to the hospital to see Wilson.
“All I heard was he was unconscious, not responding and he was airlifted,” Hunter-Reay said. “Those are obviously very bad details.
“I’m very worried right now.”
The Associated Press reported Wilson’s wife, Julia, was transported to Pennsylvania from their home in Colorado by IndyCar, while his younger brother, Stefan, was lent Tony Stewart’s plane to make the trip from Indianapolis. Stewart, the three-time NASCAR champion and former IndyCar champion, is an Indiana native.
The motor racing community has taken to Twitter to express its support for Justin Wilson with the hashtag #PrayersForJustin.
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