According to independent investigators appointed by NASCAR, Earnhardt died of a basal skull injury caused by a blow to the back of the head -- not a whiplash injury. The report, which relied largely on an autopsy performed on Earnhardt (although the authors were denied access to autopsy photographs) offered as major factors in Earnhardt's death a broken seatbelt and a collision with the car of Ken Schrader just prior to striking Daytona's unforgiving concrete wall. The interplay of these events, investigators found, caused Earnhardt's helmet to tilt forward during the crash, allowing his exposed head to strike the metal roll cage inside the cockpit, and possibly the steering wheel.
Don't get me wrong - I think things like the HANS device and the SAFER barrier were very necessary and have saved several lives. I saw Tony Roper killed at a truck race in Texas, and either could have made a difference. But IMHO Earnhardt's death was a fluke.
Life isn’t a morality contest and purity makes a poor shield. - J. Peter Mulhern
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