Serious injury at Atlanta Downhill Challenge soapbox derby
November 15, 2008 at 4:03 pm by Andisheh Nouraee in News
Image from YouTube user WesleyWhatWhat's video footage of Atlanta Downhill Challenge.
Two people telephoned me within the past hour to report that a racer in today’s Atlanta Downhill Challenge soapbox derby suffered a life-threatening injury. Additionally, blogger Tessa Horehled from Drive A Faster Car is working at the event and reports on her Twitter page that his un-helmeted head hit the pavement quite hard.
I can’t follow up as I’m tied up for the next few hours, but if anyone has any details about what happened, please post them in the comments section of this post.
UPDATE: Atlanta Downhill Challenge organizer Rebekha Jennings says this morning that she has been in touch with the injured man. She reports he is stable and expects to be released from the hospital tomorrow. Per the injured man’s request, however, she’s not able to reveal any other details.
Medical technicians from Central EMS were on-site at the time of the accident and responded immediately, she says. Additionally, she says an ambulance arrived in “five-to-ten minutes,” not 20-to-30 minutes as some commenters to this post have stated.
UPDATE 2: Video of the crash has been posted on YouTube. You can clearly see the driver’s helmet coming off as his car flips.
UPDATE 3: The video of the crash on YouTube is no longer viewable.
November 15th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
I spoke with one of the people helping the EMTs until the ambulance arrived. He told me that the rider likely suffered serious trauma to his head and may have seriously injured his neck. He was bleeding from the ears. He had a good pulse but was not breathing sufficiently so the EMTs were assisting him to breathe. I don’t think he regained conciousness before being put into the ambulance. I observed the crash and it was clear that his head and neck took the impact of the crash, with the weight of his body and the car on his head.
November 15th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
We were there, and saw his helmet fly off when his cart started its roll. That I saw.
About half an hour later, a guy in the crowd told me that a friend of his was up at the top of the hill when the guy who crashed was starting his run. He told me that the guy didn’t want to wear a helmet at all, and when they insisted, he borrowed a helmet from someone else, put it on his head backwards, and didn’t strap it on. I did not see any of that personally, so take this 3rd-hand info as just a rumor until its confirmed~
November 15th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
I also witnessed the horrifying accidentat todays’Downhill Challenge. While there is no question that several things went wrong at once to produce such an outcome, I was disturbed that the organizers had failed to have an ambulance on site for the event.
Better planning of the slow down zone for the cars could have helped to prevent this. Cars in the left lane were forced to run out speed out over a series of asphalt dunes. If they did not manage to sufficiently slow down before reaching a single row of hay bails separarating them from the large crowd, their only option was to turn diagonaly across the small hills. This frequently resulted in vehicle rollovers.
It is also important to mention that the racer WAS wearing a helmet, but it was apparently not fastened correctly and flew off as soon as the vehicle overturned.
I can only assume that greater safety controls will be in place for this event in the future.
If anyone has an update on the condition of the injured racer, please let us know. Our thoughts are with him tonight…
November 15th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
I was there also and saw it happen. The guy’s helmet just flew off when his car fell over, it looked like it wasn’t strapped on. I can’t add much, but it sure did take the ambulance a while to get there! I’m surprised there aren’t more accidents like this one at this thing. It looks fun, but I guess what your mom said about safety first may have some validity.
November 15th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
i was front and center to see the accident…. I am so worried about this guy. any update would be greatly appreciated.
November 15th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
It happened right in front of me. The impact of the left frontal area of his head on the asphalt was the hardest hit I have ever seen a human being take. It looked and sounded horrendous. When I noticed he was completely still I went toward him just as a couple of women from the crowd who stated they were paramedics arrived at the scene, and I watched closely as they carefully stabilized his head and neck. He was bleeding profusely from the left side of his head, and as he was being stabilized his nose started to bleed hard. It took forever for one of 4-5 callers (myself included) to get through to 911 and it took about 10-15 minutes or more for an ambulance to arrive. It appeared that the only on-site medical support was a woman in an EMT jacket with a small bag of supplies. She had a small rubber neck brace and an ambu bag, and the paramedics had to bag him to assist with breathing from the time they got it out until he was placed in the ambulance. I’m not sure if they had to intubate him or not, as I walked away once the situation seemed to be as stable as it could be until the ambulance arrived. I never saw the guy move or show any signs of consciousness during the entire episode.
I will leave all the speculation regarding the event safety issues and personal responsibility regarding helmet use to others, but my experience with head injuries suggests this poor man is in for a long recovery, if he recovers. Think good thoughts and send positive vibes his way, wherever he may be right now. There were some good samaritans there today, and I hope they know that their willingness to help this man was appreciated.
November 16th, 2008 at 9:01 am
I was in the section of the crowd closest to the injured man, and had a clear view of the people working on him. At one point not long before the ambulance finally arrived (30 min wait), the injured man did regain consciousness. He was clearly disoriented – he began thrashing about and had to be physically restrained… the people working on him called his name, telling him he was okay and had been in an accident. Several other times he could be seen moving his limbs a bit… I don’t know much about these kinds of injuries, but I can’t help but hope that’s a good sign.
November 16th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Does anyone know how this guy is? Please post.
We were there front and center and saw it all as described. We did see him regain consciousness and thrash around a little.
I would say if they are able to put in on in the future, improvements to the slow down zone should seriously be considered as well as mandatory full faced motorcycle helmets.
We were absolutely shocked that there was no ambulance on scene.
Other than that, it was an awesome event and extremely well organized.
November 16th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
I also heard similar rumors regarding his attitude towards wearing a helmet and his disregard of the matter. All of the participants are informed of the risk and sign consent forms. I believe they had requested to have two ambulances at the event but were not supplied with them (another rumor, this is nothing I am sure of). There were a number of medical professionals nearby who were able to stabilize him before the paramedics arrived. (20 minutes later – gah!) He did regain consciousness before the paramedics arrived but was unconscious for a good 5-7 minutes after the crash.
The car crashed due to poor brakes and the driver attempted to turn too sharp and fast to avoid hitting hay barrels that were the border between the raceway and the audience. The car flipped over and the helmet flew off of the driver before he ever hit the ground. He landed on first impact directly on his head. The car continued to roll dragged him with it, his body still in the vehicle. When the vehicle stopped, he was laying on his side hanging out of the vehicle unconscious. I have photos of the entire thing due to covering the event for my blog as a sponsor (while he was in the car before being extracted to help) which are a bit disturbing, in particular, the direct impact of the first hit he suffered. I did not realize what had happened until I saw him not move once the car had stopped and I scrolled back through my photos.
I feel very bad for the individual who suffered this accident but I have to say that he set himself up for it. This is a perfect example of “why you need to wear a helmet kids!” Any responsible individual his age (early 30s) should understand the risks of the steepness of the hill, his handmade car, the leaves, terrain, etc. Wear a stupid helmet. Nobody is indestructible.
November 16th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
i was racing the guy when he spilled so i didn’t actually see the crash behind me but have heard it was brutal.
i almost threw up when i saw the pool of blood flowing from the unsconcious man’s head.
i can say that one of the staff members at the top of the hill confirms that:
a) he didn’t want to wear a helmet initially and
b) he finally put the bicycle helmet on backwards and UNSTRAPPED.
it’s unfortunate that the man wrecked as it was a very bad scene, especially up close, but i assume that he read the waiver before he signed and knew the risks involved in piloting a homemade cart down a steep hill.
otherwise, it was a fun and exciting event that i look forward to participating in again next year.
-w
ps, a friend tells me that the guy got his ear patched up last night and is moving around ok (source unknown).
we wish him a speedy recovery.
November 16th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
I just heard that he is in stable condition and will be out of the hospital in a day or so.
What a relief.
November 16th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Good to hear he ok. This makes my day.
November 16th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I have been in contact with the injured rider for the last 24 hours. He is in stable condition and will be released from the hospital soon. The person that was in the accident has asked me to not release any information on him. I will be releasing a statement in the next day or two. This was the first accident to happen at this event. There were medical staff
on hand.
November 16th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
I am so glad to hear he is alive! And stable. It looked so awful. I hope he will not suffer any long term damage. Please keep us posted as much as you are allowed. I have kept him in my thoughts for the last 24hrs.thank you for the update.
November 16th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
I was about 10 feet from him and can confirm he did not move for about 10 minutes. One of the problems (other than the helmet) is that his car completely enclosed his body and he could not separate himself from it thereby forcing him to roll with the car with only his head sticking out. The fact that he did not break his neck is a major blessing. Paralysis was the first thing that came to my mind when it happened. My son flipped and destroyed his car but was separated from it immediately. He had a full face helmet on with visor along with elbow and knee pads. I wanted him to wear a leather jacket to prevent scuffs but he was stubborn about this. After he flipped he said “Mom, next time I’m wearing the leather jacket! Half the cars were either flipping or crashing into each other or losing a wheel and skidding out. This is actually the highlight and humans in their own primal way, love to watch the carnage (think roman gladiators)….clapping every time someone jumped up from their wreck. We plan on another year but I do hope that an ambulance will be on site and that the organization comes up with a better way to slow/stop the cars after they cross the finish line. Let’s all send our prayers to the driver. We have all done stupid things in our lives and many of us have escaped death in the process (driving drunk for example?). So, let’s try not to be too hard on the guy. He knows he screwed up and probably feels pretty embarrassed as it is. Thank you Down Hill Atlanta for a Great Weekend!
November 16th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I was one of the (retired) paramedics on the scene until the rescue unit showed up. He never regained consciousness the whole time I was there. His leg and hand movements were involuntary and he was completely non responsive to pain stimuli. I will be relieved to know that he is ok, but yesterday, he wasn’t looking too good.
I am really disappointed that there was not an ambulance on standby. Poor planning.
Please keep the updates coming!
November 16th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Thanks for the update, Rebekah. I’ve been worried all night.
I was one of the first to total her car- Deathmobile (makes me shudder now). Event staff was IMMEDIATELY by my side asking if I needed a paramedic. I had my helmet and elbow pads on, but my face looks a bloody mess. I think the accident was horribly unfortunate for the individual and one of those instances to learn from for participants and the planning committee.
November 16th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
We were one of the last left as Snowden finished their set. Looked over and saw that the crashed drivers car was sitting all lonely in the empty parking lot. We pushed it off to the side by one of the concrete buildings. The bicycle helmet the driver was wearing was still inside and looked completely intact. It was so awful to witness, but I am glad the organizers did stop the races after the wreck. Also thankful that my husband had already raced pre-crash. Don’t know that I’d have been able to handle watching him go down that hill after.
November 16th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
I heard today that the man came to last night and immediately asked “Did I win?” Sounds like he is doing very well and will never think twice about wearing a helmet again.
November 17th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Being that this is the third year in a row the derby has taken place at the Starlight Drive in, I feel that the event staff did everything they could do with on site medical attention based on previous years experience.
It is true that he had his helmet on, but unstrapped. Thank God that he is going to be okay!
I am very glad that he will be released this week.
November 17th, 2008 at 8:44 am
I was at the top of the hill when we went down and witnessed firsthand that (1) he was reluctant to wear a helmet at all, (2) he put one on backwards, and (3) the chinstrap was undone when he started to roll. Saw it all with my own eyes. Great to hear he’s recovering and a good lesson to everyone else about head protection!
November 17th, 2008 at 9:09 am
I was front and center for this accident and am happy to hear that the racer will apparently be okay…when I went to sleep that night I kept having images of his head slamming into the pavement with the dull thud of a cantelope getting hit by a base-ball bat.
I helped remove the car once the paramedic and medical people from the crowd extracted the driver…he was completely non-responsive the entire time.
I am VERY disappointed that the organizers did not have an ambulance on-hand, waiting at the bottom of the hill with the doors open. I think that this should definitely be a must for next year.
I also feel that full face-mask motorcylcle helments should be mandatory.
This is a great event, and we all love to see questionably engineered vehicles rushing downhill with equally questionable results…but NOBODY wants to see a contestants head get cracked open.
Also, as an observer sitting right at the bottom of the run, the parking ridges do make a horrible turn-out and contributed to a number of crashes.
Not to seem like a turd in the punch bowl, but….
November 17th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Although I agree that there should have been some medical personal their, I don’t think we should hold the event responsible for this guy chosing to be foolish about his helmet. If anything they should simply require people to wear full gear; full face helments and pads. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:56 am
i was also relatively close to the accident, and heard first-hard all the things said here (from the info at the top of the hill about the guy not wanting to wear a helmet, through the on-site paramedics from the crowd reporting that he was unconscious, not breathing on his own, and bleeding from both ears), and i have to say, it has been haunting me ever since. when i found out this morning that he’s stable and will be okay, i was immensely relieved. i haven’t been able to get that crash out of my head all weekend.
as for the sentiment that the guy got what he deserves for not wearing a helmet – NO ONE deserves the ridiculous amount of pain, trauma, chaos, medical bills, and let’s not forget embarrassment that this guy has and will have to suffer. i wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.
thanks to those who are close to him for keeping us updated.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:17 am
I had a great conversation with the driver (and his girlfriend) while we waited in staging at the top of hill. My brief interaction with him left me with the impression he was a genuinely nice guy and I looked forward to watching his car compete (similar wheel setup as my ride).
I watched the crash from the top of the hill. Even from that distance it looked quite ugly.
I wish him a speedy and complete recovery.
-David
peregrinor(at)hotmail.com
November 17th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Hope a speedy recovery for the man, and glad to hear that he is talking/moving around. I agree it didn’t look good after the wreck. I doubt he’ll having any recollection of the accident, (I had a similar crash on a motorcycle and didn’t remember a thing).
Hopefully next year a more detailed spotter at the start line will be used and of course ambulance on site. Might even consider a venue change seeing as the bottom of the hill is so dangerous.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Should have added…fantastic event Rebekha! You and your team did a great job. My friends and I are already planning our builds for next year.
Lesson: ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET. Really glad he will be okay.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:54 am
I raced and crashed and walked away smiling. This accident was horrible to watch but there is no blame on the organizers. There was a paramedic on site. Having an ambulance parked and rady at the event would be expensive and unusual. Drivers do sign waivers and should be responsible for their safety. This event is hell of fun….but you’re an idiot if you think flying down a hill without gloves, helmet, knee and elbow pads is a minimum MUST.
I will keep the injured man in my prayers, and those derby folks too that I know are so worried over this accident.
November 17th, 2008 at 11:07 am
I was there and I saw the crash as well. It was horendous, the guy skidded on his head it looks like. Hopefully next year there will be ironclad rules on helmets. But on the bright side, he will have a lessaon that will be with him for his hopefully long life.
And Erin ‘Crash-n-Burn’ Mullins, we are taking you off activity based activities!
November 17th, 2008 at 11:42 am
here’s what happened:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHqCNN3E4TI
November 17th, 2008 at 11:43 am
In response to ILC, there was a VERY DETAILED spotter at the top of the event who made him go get a helmet because he didn’t even want to wear one and she told him to put it on correctly etc..
At the end of the day, he was a grown man who signed a detailed waiver and unfortunately made the wrong decision.
I went down the hill twice with no flip of the car or injury….
I wore a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads and HAD A BLAST!
It is way to bad about what happened, no one suggested he deserved it, but it is a good lesson to learn..
I believe a fundraiser is being set up in his behalf. More details are to come.
November 17th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
I was at the top of the hill at the start of the race and can confirm the details regarding the driver not wanting to wear a helmet, etc. I also agree that in the future a full helmet and full safety gear should be required. The starting line staff member should REQUIRE the safety of the rider and not allow the race to start without satisfaction. This is easy to say in hind sight, of course.
I believe the race should continue to happen at the Starlight Drive-In. The awkward hills at the bottom is half the fun of building a car that is stable enough to withstand them.
I also agree that requiring an ambulance to be onsite would be WAY too expensive for this type of event. Perhaps a more cost effective method is to have an onsite paramedic that has instant phone access to an ambulance that is on standby during the event timeframe. The fact that 5 people had to be on-hold with 911 waiting to get through to get the process started could have been a life-ending delay.
I applaud how the event was organized & executed, including how the accident was responded to and the subsequent asking of the crowd if races should continue.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE show your support to Rebekha and the entire Atlanta Downhill Challenge staff for all the hard work they pull off to make this amazing event happen every year.
As a member of Team Krog who had the most spectacular crash in 2007, please know that crashes should be expected and planned for BY THE TEAM ITSELF.
Looking forward to the next event in 2009!!
November 17th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
I am in the process of setting up a fund raiser for him but again, as of today…his friend told me he does not want any one releasing information on him. I just want everyone to PLEASE respect this man’s wishes.
As for the helmet:
B-2: All drivers must wear a helmet and safety protection while racing. You may use a motorcycle helmet, bicycle helmet, sports helmet, etc., as long as it provides significant protection in the event of a collision.
I just want everyone to know after I head that he was reluctant to wear a helmet:
We REALLY hope that everyone cares about their well being as much as we care about you. We NEVER want to see anyone get hurt.
Again, if you care for this man, please respect their wishes about his privacy. Also, after I set up an account for the fund raising…feel free to make a donation.
Thanks for everyone’s support.
November 17th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
To have an ambulance on hand for this type of event is only $70-90 an hour. This is not a crazy expense when it comes to saving peoples lives and the amount people paid at the gates could have definitely covered such an expense. I was absolutely shocked when I arrived at the event that there was not an ambulance in sight.
November 17th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
In response to the person above by the pseudonym NoneYa who mentions the price of an ambulance on site…At $90 an hour, at a 6 hour event, that would have eaten away half the proceeds for participating non-profits of a small grassroots event like this. Medics were present and gave him immediate attention. People can criticize the organizers all they want, but precautions were taken (like requiring a helmet in the waiver), and some of the responsibility must rest on the team and the driver. Even little kids on bikes know to buckle their helmets.
November 17th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
“The starting line staff member should REQUIRE the safety of the rider and not allow the race to start without satisfaction”
I disagree. We are adults and should be responsible for our own safety. Where do you draw the line? Helmet? What kind? Crash suit, gloves, eye protection? Tech inspection for the cars? Requiring safety is a slippery slope. The helmet requirement is part of the process of notifying a person of their assumed risk.
I am a motorcyclist and mountain biker. I ALWAYS wear my helmet because my brain works well enough to decide that it wishes to keep working the same way.
November 17th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
My thanks to the organizers for a great day at the drive-in. As it was said before, the real possibility of accidents are a big part of the excitement surrounding this event. There’s nothing cooler than taking a tumble and walking away from it proudly, I can attest to this.
Teams MUST expect accidents and MUST take adequate precautions. A bicycle helmet without sides is NOT adequate protection, a construction hat is NOT adequate protection. The responsibility for the terrible accident that happened this weekend sits squarely and heavily on the driver’s shoulders and those of his team mates.
We can expect a more stringent spotter with more stringent helmet rules for next year (though I don’t think a full mask helmet is necessary). I also think a higher entry fee (the current $15 is appreciated but I wouldn’t mind paying up to $25-$35) could afford the organizers a standing rescue team.
November 17th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
i had a friend at the starting line with this person who saw that he had an umbrella between his legs in the car at the start, which was supposed to act as his brake. not sure of the “truthiness” of this.
i agree that as adults, we are all responsible for our safety. i do, however, agree that the organizers should look into the cost of having an ambulance on site next year. i wouldn’t mind paying an extra few bucks to get in to never have to witness what i did on saturday. ugh.
November 17th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
The on site ambulance is a necessity and the organizers should probably look into a liabilty policy to cover the event. Now that there has been a serious accident, the next one is foreseeable and a personal injury attorney could eat the next one alive.
I love the Colorado laws where extreme skiing, cycleing, hang gliding and all kinds of dangerous activities occur on public an dprivate land. They can be effectively summed up with “Your on your own. Hope you aren’t a dumbass”.
November 17th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
I don’t think anyone is faulting the organizers for what happened. The point is that because safety should always be the #1 concern of any event, 3 important lessons were learned, and new practices will need to be adopted going forward:
1) Regardless of the cost, an ambulance should be on the scene. No exceptions.
2) If minimum safety requirements are stated (ie: “All drivers must wear a helmet and safety protection while racing”), they should be adhered to or you don’t race. It’s that simple.
3) A revision of the present course layout would clearly help to reduce the high rate of rollovers.
These criticisms are offered purely in the spirit of improving in the future what is already a great event.
Thanks ADC!
November 17th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
With the exception of the crash and the first band sounding like a bad version of Nickleback (is that even possible) this was a great day. I love seeing the community gather for events like this and Atlanta needs more of them. I’ll be there next year with the Stock Market Car…now I just gotta find an engineer…
November 17th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
This guy is actually a friend of mine. I just visited him at the hospital. He is doing okay. He suffered broken bones in his face, broken collar bone, skull fracture and a black eye. Long recovery but it looks like he will recover fully.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Hi All,
I am a friend of Courtney and I was at the race with him. Thanks so much for all the well wishes. Courtney is doing a bit better today. He will probably be in the hospital a couple more days and will take a couple weeks at least for what we hope will be a full recovery. I want to give a special thanks for Rebekka, she has been wonderful through this and I really appreciate all her help and concerns. Rebekka..please continue with the Soap Box Derby..it was a blast and Courtney does not want his accident to be the end of this wonderful event!! Thanks everyone!! Fern
November 18th, 2008 at 2:31 am
Thank you Fern for being a wonderful friend to Courtney! It makes me feel better knowing that he has good friends around him.
To everyone else…we are raising some money for Courtney to help him get back on his feet.
Please send money to his friend Fern who is handling all the money on his behalf. We are using PayPal and her g-mail address is: fern.lovelace@gmail.com
Here is the donation link:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=KJR3ARSGKDHCC&lc=US&item_name=Courtney%2dSoap%20Box%20Derby%202008&item_number=Cpegus¤cy_code=USD&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF%3aPB150198%2ejpg%3aNonHosted
Thanks so much for all your support!
November 19th, 2008 at 12:13 am
I spent some time with Courtney in the hospital today. He is so inspirational and positive. It was a blessing to be around him! We are asking people to donate some money to his cause, please see my message above…thanks!
November 19th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
After witnessing the crash at close range I am so grateful that the dude is going to be okay. Putting aside commentary about his choices prior to racing, I do fault race organizers. If you have rules follow them. They won’t let you ride the rollercoaster at Six Flags without a seatbelt on just because you sign a waiver. Race organizers should have specific helmet requirements and should not allow racers to race without a proper helmet. This is not some podunk event on Uncle Jed’s farm. The Derby has become a widely publicized, well attended event and with that comes responsibilities which include having an ambulance on site. It was absolutely more than ten minutes before an ambulance arrived. It seemed like an eternity while watching dude laying motionless on the ground, but my watch told me it was more than ten minutes. Without question there should have been an ambulance on site. Costs for the event should be adjusted to cover expenses related to safety.
Let me say, through friends I have heard great things about the organizers of this event. I have no doubt they are well-intentioned caring people. That said, realize what you’re dealing with folks. People are drinking. People are racing homemade vehicles. People are not properly helmented. Dude could have been killed and certainly could have been left with permanent disabling injuries. As it stands now he is facing a long recovery and who knows what lasting effects from this accident. And as is clear from the tone of these posts, many spectators were profoundly impacted by witnessing the crash. I know I was.
November 22nd, 2008 at 2:53 pm
putting blame towards orginizers is waay wrong. I was at the start line when this happened. My thoughts and prayers go out to him. It was terrible accident that in no way was the fault of any event orginizers. There were rules that the driver signed that included helmet regulations. Its 100% his own fault. The guy didn’t strap on his helmet. He never touched his brakes. He was trying to show off at the end by turning quickly to cause himself to spin out. His car was too top heavy to do that. I’m not trying to be harsh towards the driver, i wish him the best but its just not fair to blame the organizer for mistakes that he made himself. Lessons were definately learned by all.