Interceptor

As the race organizer SBI has the nickle to gather all parties involved and know their mission and explain in detail SBI's mission. A lack of ambulance(s), correct emergency/accident instruction to crews, no black flag all imply SBI fault.
ed

PhantomChaos

You said to take it up with SBI directly. He already tried on the scene right then and there, and ignored.

Like I said, changes come from discussions and this is the perfect place to do it......and believe me, more racing folks read OSO than you think. Not everyone has to discuss and not everybody has to contribute, and many just read.

I'm not sure who you mean "WE don't get to make the changes". If you mean the racers and teams, I do believe that they get to make the changes and they should, or walk away from an organization that won't listen and make improvements.

stainless

Well said !

BUIZILLA

if no changes were made in the racer's best interest, and nobody showed up.... what then?

I did drag race/car show promoting on my own nickle for a few years, and i'm here to tell ya my Safety Crew and Ambulance placement was JOB 1 of the event.... I *only* had 300-400 cars and a couple thousand people to worry about though...

I must say, and this is from doing the rescue thing at KW as well, I am very concerned there was no ambulance(s) in the mole area, pit's, or mole pier area... or was there?

glassdave

iTrader: (1)

something to note here before the rumor mill gets to full swing. When something like this happens it is very important to preserve all available information about the events. While we dont know what context it was said in it has to be noted that in this type of accident it is very common for helmets to be stripped off (I have seen it and in this case is very likely). At the time the events were taking place it is not outside the realm of possibility the officials were trying to preserve what exactly happened and how they were found. The official could have merely been reinforcing details rather then placing them. It is possible to read those comments with any inflection you put on them. I dont believe they were collectively trying to hide anything, I have delt with these organizations and may not agree with the way some things are done i dont really believe they are trying to cover anything up, I would sooner believe they were trying to preserve the events. It is all things that should come out while the accident is being investigated, one would hope anyway.

Matt Trulio

What I find most disturbing about this story, as told by Penalty Box, is he says he was told not to talk to anyone about it. The helmet issue also seems strange. Being told what you "didn't see," if that is in fact what happened, is always troubling.

Pat D

OK I have tried to stay out of this but the reason all of us were not talking about details that went on over the radio was because this is an ongoing investigation by the Coast Guard. This is common knowledge for any accident or incident situation.
NO ONE was told "you didn't see" etc. and the reason people seemed calm to Scott (penaltybox) was because he was so emotional and excited. Yes he did scream over the radio and I will tell anyone who is screaming to calm down. I know how Scott feels and felt.....many years ago when I was first doing this, Mr. Gentry was my first bad accident and I had to go through what Scott is going through.
This was a race where rumors flooded the pits on every day regarding every subject. It has to stop. Wait for actual facts to surface and please don't make this tragedy any worse than it is.
The tapes we keep in race control will help clarify some of these statements and although we can't undo these tragic events, we hopefully can learn what needs to be done in the future.
The past week was very hard on all of us and anyone who thinks different is just obviously caught up in the adrenalin of gossip.
Please.........stop speculating.
Pat D.....medical race control

Penaltybox

When I decided to post something about what I witnessed and was a part of; I did it for one reason. My only hope was that the safety procedures of ALL race organizations, as a whole, would be examined closer. Perhaps some changes would/could be made that could help an injured racer.

I did not want to start a blame game, nor throw mud in anyone's face.

I was also HOPING that I could voice my concerns, yet still not throw my name out there to the whole world. Ever since Pat decided to throw my name out there, it didn't take long for people to put things together, and figure out my last name. I am now getting calls from different people and even a news organization, asking for my opinions on things that I know nothing about.

Pat, thanks. Thanks for taking your frustration out on me.

As for the reason I thought people were calm; it wasn't because I was excited and emotional. I was actually commending a medical person for not only doing a great job on an injured racer, but for ALSO helping keep those less experienced people around him calm and focused. I was emotional; I can't change that now.

If this post has hurt anyone, I am deeply sorry. As I said above, I never quesitoned the ability of the medical personnel; I only question the procedures of the medical team.

Matt Trulio

Pat D,

I understand protocols and procedures.

I was commenting on the details Penalty Box provided in his account of the events after the accident. And I sourced those details back to him directly.

Here is what he says he was told:

"We called you in here tonight, because we want to make sure you don't speak with anyone about what happened today."

No mention of not discussing "radio communications" in his account.

Here, again, is what he says he was told:

"Right after the driver's meeting, I was brought to the side by a SBI official, and told, "'You did not see the racers helmets from yesterday, right?' Before I could even answer, I was told again, 'I just wanted to make sure you knew that you did not see those helmets.'"

Obviously, your recollection of those details is substantially different than his.

As for stopping speculation, it is to some degree human nature. Most of the comments I've seen here have been very respectful.

And once again, I wasn't speculating. I was commenting on his account of the events.

PhantomChaos

It seems that someone was told that.....

The next morning, there was a memorial for Bob and JT. The following day, was Friday, the 2nd day of races. Right after the driver's meeting, I was brought to the side by a SBI official, and told, "You did not see the racers helmets from yesterday, right?" Before I could even answer, I was told again, "I just wanted to make sure you knew that you did not see those helmets."


If it was all over the radio......many folks must know. So, what are the facts?