Race car runs into spectators at Wallerfield

[Mercenary]

wtf lyons ....

[eliteauto]

http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2016-07- ... ield-crash

Mechanical failure may have caused Wallerfield crash

The racing track at Wallerfield was certified by the Federation of International Automobiles (FIA) and all safety measures were put in place, according to sources at the T&T Automobile Sports Association (TTASA).

The claim comes even as FIA officials are said to have arrived in T&T to probe the accident on Sunday which injured five people after a driver crashed into a spectator stand at the Caribbean Motor Racing Championships.

The FIA officials are said to be here with a technical team to conduct an independent probe into the accident at the Frankie Boodram International Raceway. As such, they will seek to meet with all parties involved in the event and the driver.

Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday on condition of anonymity, the TTASA source said all the relevant safety measures and precautions were put in place for the event. An initial probe into the accident has revealed the car had some mechanical problems which caused it not to brake, the source said.

“This caused it to go airborne, crashing through the tyre barricade,” the source said.

The source admitted that it was sad to see people injured as a result but said the injured people’s welfare “will be looked at as top priority. It’s not that we are inhumane. Everything was blown out of proportion.”

The injured fans were identified as Kavesh Sookhan, Jynelle Maharaj, Amrika Armstrong and Tricia Persad.

In the release yesterday, TTASA and the promoters said Maharaj was discharged from the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex while the others remain warded in stable condition with serious injuries.

The driver, David Lyons, was taken to Gulf View Medical, treated and released. He is said to be traumatised by the incident but the T&T Guardian understands he has been questioned by the police, insurance officials and TTASA officials in connection with the accident.

According to the TTASA release, the incident was “highly unusual and has not been seen at Wallerfield before.”

"Members of the CMRC event team and TTASA club officials remained at the hospital throughout Sunday night to ensure that the injured persons received proper treatment and care. A report from HEROES emergency response services has been received and indicates that all necessary spinal and other precautions were taken by emergency response personal for transport to the Arima Health Facility in two ambulance units,” the release said.

[GixxerMan]

I hope this is not a "titanic disaster' for motorsports in trinidad.

[TriP]

aerial view of the race course - jason x photography

https://www.facebook.com/jasonxphotogra ... =3&theater

[janfar]

A freak accident is a lightening bolt striking a teak tree at the back of the stands and causing it to fall on the bleachers. This was a racing incident and can happen at any time to any driver.

Be that as it may, the safety precaution there was horribly inadequate. 4 tyres stacked on each other is not a tyre wall. If the responsible authorities cannot protect its patrons they probably shouldn't be in the business of hosting events.

[coltspeed]

Very common for drivers to lose focus,
I know two persons who were fixing flat tire on highway and a car hit one of them and another ran off the side
Both cases straight highway.

looking at the vid, seems the driver got confused and couldn't brake in time. sad all around, but the injured people should still sue.

Even though this seems so, there still weren't enough preparation to stop the cars as it exited the track asphalt also the position of the stand were not as it was at last year event.
The first thing i notice that the tire barriers wasn't enough knowing that tires are very regular disposed of. They really couldn't get more than that to put around the track?

[Mercenary]

had there been no accident, no beat up over safety wud have ensued. typical.

[Morpheus]

Some of us expressed our concern for that very stand and that exact scenario playing out on entering the compound.....

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

[ADONI]

Guardian does real make mistakes these days!!!

[desifemlove]

I'll personally come and bash in the face anybody who says this should be banned due to one accident. When Senna died years ago, was F1 banned? the injuries are regrettable, but come on, accidents/sheit happens. if people run ting, and people get injured, criminally charge them. no tort, jail time (no fine either).

[Lance]

Car crash victim needs blood
Mt Hope

ONE of the victims from Sunday's race-car crash at Wallerfield needed four pints of O-positive blood up to last night while two others remained in serious but stable condition at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex at Mt Hope.

Kavesh Sookhan, Amrika Armstrong, Tricia Persad and Jynelle Maharaj were admitted to the hospital following Sunday's accident at the Frankie Boodram International Raceway in Wallerfield.

Jameer Ali, vice president of the Trinidad and Tobago Automobile Sports Association, said Sookhan requires blood urgently and donors are being asked to visit any blood bank to make a donation.

Maharaj was discharged from hospital yesterday after having suffered a laceration to her head and cuts to both her feet and hands.

The driver of the car that became airborne, David Lyons, is said to be heavily sedated and currently at a private medical institution, according to Ali.

Ali said the TTASA was assisting the victims.

He said they have a specialist doctor, Riyad Kunja, currently working with them. He has been trained by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) specifically to deal with the trauma associated with a high velocity automobile crash.

Ali also said a team from the Caribbean Motor Sport Racing Association is currently in Trinidad and carrying out an investigation into Sunday's incident and they are currently working alongside an FIA delegate, Selwyn Persad.

A video of the crash went viral on Sunday night.

It showed one racing car losing control and slamming into a tyre barrier around a sharp corner of the race track.
Then another car skidded and launched into the air and into the spectator stands.
Arima police are continuing investigations into the accident.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20160726 ... eeds-blood

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

Different angle in slow motion

[desifemlove]

Different angle in slow motion

What was that black car doing?

[boosted_wrx]

He had the same drive line as the rx7, right where the rx7 began spinning out and lost control, the swift took the same line and you see he was slowing down but right at the same point where the rx7 lost control, Lyons couldn't slow down anymore, he began skidding, and his velocity remained constant approaching the stand, he had slicks on and it look like it had oil on the track, a sudden change in surface, and his abs look like it began to fail or he had complete brake failure, but you do see he was trying to slow down but he couldn't

[Morpheus]

Also from this new angle we should all be thankful that the nose of the car hit the ground first, causing it to turn. That would have absorbed some of the impact.

BTW look at air!!!

[originalbling]

Based on that vid, why were persons allowed to congregate so close to the fence near that corner, including the 5 who were nearer the person filming.
That is clearly a run off area in case any cars take that corner very wide. Plastic chicanes not going and stop nutten.

The person in orange vest didnt even move for a while after the crash lol

[Shifter Kart]

it has gone global now, now on CarThrottle and Jalopnik.
sigh
http://blackflag.jalopnik.com/this-insa ... socialflow

This Insane Racetrack Crash Looks Like Something From A Final Destination Movie
Jason Torchinsky



Incredibly, nobody was killed in this dramatic, action-movie-looking wreck that took place at Wallerfield International Raceway in Trinidad and Tobago on July 24. Four people were injured, though watching the video it’s hard to believe it didn’t turn out worse. There’s a car flung like a toy into the damn crowd, even. Yikes.

Looking at the video up there, it looks like the mess started when that RX-7 overcooked it into the turn and spun out through the tire wall. Immediately following the Mazda, a second racer doesn’t appear to turn at all at the corner, plowing straight past the RX-7, where the tire wall seems to springboard the car up and into the crowd.

There’s chaos when the car slams into the stands, but you can see people immediately rushing out to lift the car off a woman who was trapped beneath it. It’s really remarkable that only four people were injured in all this mess, and the quick response of the crowd absolutely helped.

The race was part of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championships, and the wreck happened during the final lap. I know at the end of a race everyone’s adrenalin is up and drivers take more risks, but why didn’t that guy turn? Mesmerized by the wrecked RX-7? Fatigue? A terrible plan?

I suspect it was simple target fixation: that RX-7 was right in the line of sight, and the driver made an unwitting beeline to it. Of course, this is just a guess; there’s any number of mechanical issues that could have caused this as well.

Also, the design of those tire wall/barriers at the track may be worth revisiting, since, ideally, they shouldn’t launch speeding cars into the crowd. Ideally.

Regardless, yikes.

[desifemlove]

He had the same drive line as the rx7, right where the rx7 began spinning out and lost control, the swift took the same line and you see he was slowing down but right at the same point where the rx7 lost control, Lyons couldn't slow down anymore, he began skidding, and his velocity remained constant approaching the stand, he had slicks on and it look like it had oil on the track, a sudden change in surface, and his abs look like it began to fail or he had complete brake failure, but you do see he was trying to slow down but he couldn't

very unfortunate all around.

[Slartibartfast]

Based on that vid, why were persons allowed to congregate so close to the fence near that corner, including the 5 who were nearer the person filming.
That is clearly a run off area in case any cars take that corner very wide. Plastic chicanes not going and stop nutten.

The person in orange vest didnt even move for a while after the crash lol

Uhhhhh.... Do you know what a chicane is?

[pugboy]

They need cable barriers like what on the highway
Or some simple way of hooking the tires to each other so they all share the impact like a cable barrier

[Slartibartfast]

They use concrete walls with tire walls because it easy and cheap to quickly repair after a car crashes into it. They also have gravel pits to slow down cars if they run off the track (not a ramp like wallerfield). In some tracks they even started using big airbags on the side of the track that they can just replace if someone crashes into it and bursts it.

I seriously hope they use this opportunity to advance safety in local motorsports and not as an excuse to get rid of it.

[originalbling]

Based on that vid, why were persons allowed to congregate so close to the fence near that corner, including the 5 who were nearer the person filming.
That is clearly a run off area in case any cars take that corner very wide. Plastic chicanes not going and stop nutten.

The person in orange vest didnt even move for a while after the crash lol

Uhhhhh.... Do you know what a chicane is?

i was referring to the plastic barriers some ppl were standing behind. sorry if i used the wrong word.

[Slartibartfast]

Based on that vid, why were persons allowed to congregate so close to the fence near that corner, including the 5 who were nearer the person filming.
That is clearly a run off area in case any cars take that corner very wide. Plastic chicanes not going and stop nutten.

The person in orange vest didnt even move for a while after the crash lol

Uhhhhh.... Do you know what a chicane is?

i was referring to the plastic barriers some ppl were standing behind. sorry if i used the wrong word.

Oh scene. Was just a little confused. I think those are just plastic barriers. Simply put, a chicane is type of corner on a track.

But yeah, I agree with what you said.

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

They need cable barriers like what on the highway
Or some simple way of hooking the tires to each other so they all share the impact like a cable barrier

usually on many racing circuits, tyres are strapped together to form a tyre barrier. There ARE strapped tyres barriers all along the Wallerfield circuit. Strapping the tyres together helps all the tyres to absorb the energy of a car that has run off the circuit, instead of scattering. For some reason these tyres in this barrier were not strapped to each other.

[nismoid]

Dem blight that track since they renamed it after a convict.

[pugboy]

"For some reason" ....

They need cable barriers like what on the highway
Or some simple way of hooking the tires to each other so they all share the impact like a cable barrier

usually on many racing circuits, tyres are strapped together to form a tyre barrier. There ARE strapped tyres barriers all along the Wallerfield circuit. Strapping the tyres together helps all the tyres to absorb the energy of a car that has run off the circuit, instead of scattering. For some reason these tyres in this barrier were not strapped to each other.

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

"For some reason" ....

They need cable barriers like what on the highway
Or some simple way of hooking the tires to each other so they all share the impact like a cable barrier

usually on many racing circuits, tyres are strapped together to form a tyre barrier. There ARE strapped tyres barriers all along the Wallerfield circuit. Strapping the tyres together helps all the tyres to absorb the energy of a car that has run off the circuit, instead of scattering. For some reason these tyres in this barrier were not strapped to each other.

yes.

[pugboy]

Somebody got questions to answer then

[TriniGT]

That last video from what can be seen there isn't any attempt to corner. Even if there was brake failure there should have been some attempt to avoid heading in the crowd's direction. I still think he was focusing on the crash instead of the corner.