This article lists the people who have been fatally injured in American Championship car racing during testing, practice, qualifying, or races since 1916, categorized into drivers, riding mechanics, and non-participants. The lists recognize "IndyCar" or "Champ Car" fatalities that have occurred in events making up the National Championship, which has been held by the following sanctioning bodies:
The National Championship, which was split from 1979 to 2007, has featured regular races, non-points paying (non-championship) rounds, competitions sanctioned by entities that did not stage the National Championship in the same year (such as the Automobile Club of America), and the AAA Big car meetings held in the 1946 season.
The most recent driver to be fatally injured in an IndyCar Series event was Justin Wilson at the 2015 ABC Supply 500.
✝ indicates that the driver was killed in the same incident.
Mechanician | Driver | Date of incident | Sanction | Track [note 1] | Event | Team/Owner | Car/Entry | Session |
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April 8, 1916 | AAA | Grand Boulevard ( Corona) | Corona Grand Prize [note 2] | Peugeot | Race | |
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May 13, 1916 | AAA | Sheepshead Bay Speedway | Metropolitan Trophy | Delage | Race | |
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July 15, 1916 | AAA | Omaha Speedway | 150-mile race | Peugeot – Sunbeam "Peusun" | Race | |
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August 27, 1916 | AAA | Recreation Park ( Kalamazoo) | 100-mile race [note 2] | Stutz | Race | |
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September 4, 1916 | AAA | Cincinnati Motor Speedway | International Sweepstakes | Stutz | Race | |
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October 14, 1916 | AAA | Speedway Park | Grand American Auto Race | Crawford – Duesenberg | Race | |
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November 10, 1916 | AAA/ ACA | Santa Monica Road Race Course | Harry Horsman | Mercer | Practice | |
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December 2, 1916 | AAA | Uniontown Speedway | Universal Trophy [note 2] | Premier | Race | |
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November 25, 1920 | AAA | Beverly Hills Speedway | 250-mile race | Duesenberg | Race | |
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October 1, 1921 | AAA | Fresno Speedway | San Joaquin Valley Classic | Frontenac | Race | |
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May 30, 1930 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | George Henry | Duesenberg | Race |
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June 8, 1930 | AAA | Michigan State Fairgrounds | 100-mile race | Ambler | Ambler – Buick | Qualifying |
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May 26, 1931 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Alvin Jones | Duesenberg "Jones & Maley" | Practice |
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May 25, 1932 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Alvin Jones | Duesenberg "Jones & Maley" | Qualifying |
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May 28, 1933 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Ray Brady | ? – Studebaker "Brady & Nardi" | Qualifying |
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May 30, 1933 | Harry Hartz | Miller | Race | |||
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May 25, 1934 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Harry Hartz | Miller FD – Miller "Miller-Hartz" | Practice |
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May 21, 1935 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Phil Shafer | ? – Buick "Victor Gasket" | Qualifying |
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January 26, 1936 | AAA | Ascot Speedway | 125-mile race [note 2] | Bill White | Wetteroth – Offenhauser | Race |
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May 28, 1937 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Murrell Belanger | Stevens – Miller "Belanger-Miller" | Qualifying |
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September 20, 1939 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Firestone tire test | Mike Boyle | Miller FD – Miller | Testing |
This section lists people who have been fatally injured in close connection to the racing taking place at an event while not occupying a race car including participants being on the sidelines.
Name | Date of incident | Sanction | Track [note 1] | Event | Session | Role | Course of events |
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April 8, 1916 | AAA | Grand Boulevard ( Corona) | Corona Grand Prize [note 2] | Race | Police officer | Due to tire damage, Bob Burman's racer skidded, turned over and dashed into a crowd of people, several of whom were injured. Burman, his mechanician Erick Schrader, and a police officer died. [1] |
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November 18, 1916 | ACA | Santa Monica Road Race Course | American Grand Prize | Race | Spectator | With his left front wheel buckling, Lewis Jackson missed a slight turn. His car slid along the roadside and struck several people, three of them fatally. Jackson died being pinned against a tree. [4] |
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Camera operator | ||||||
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Street vendor | ||||||
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December 2, 1916 | AAA | Uniontown Speedway | Universal Trophy [note 2] | Race | Driver | Frank Galvin lost control of his racer, smashed through the guard rail and slammed into the press stand, injuring several of its occupants and crushing to death Hughie Hughes, who had crashed out of the race himself and was standing by the press box. Gaston Weigle, Galvin's mechanician, was also killed. Galvin died two days later. [5] |
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May 30, 1923 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Race | Spectator | Tom Alley, who was relief driving for Earl Cooper, slid, rolled over and penetrated a fence, killing a 15-year-old spectator and hurting two other boys and himself. [121] |
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November 29, 1923 | AAA | Beverly Hills Speedway | 250-mile race | Pre-race | Photographer | Attempting a start before the race, Harry Hartz hit a photographer, a team owner, and a mechanic, killing the former two and severely injuring the latter. [122] |
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Team owner | ||||||
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October 12, 1925 | AAA | Rockingham Speedway | Autumn Classic | Practice | Mechanic | The car driven by Vic Spooner veered into the pits where it fatally struck his mechanic before hitting the steel railing, being sent into the air, landing besides the track and catching fire. Spooner survived a concussion. [123] |
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May 30, 1931 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Race | Bystander | Billy Arnold's racer lost a wheel, which cleared the retaining wall and killed an 11-year-old boy who was off the speedway's property. [124] |
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May 28, 1937 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Practice | Pit attendant | Overton Phillips lost control of his burning car, the gas tank of which had been pierced. Spinning into the pit area, it collided with another machine and inflicted fatal injuries on two attendants, one of whom died four days later, with three other people being hurt including Phillips. [119] [125] |
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May 30, 1938 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Race | Spectator | The tire and rim came off a wheel of the racer driven by Emil Andres, traveled through the air and fatally struck a spectator who was seated on a truck in the infield. [126] |
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April 14, 1946 | AAA | Williams Grove Speedway | 30-lap Big car race | Feature race | Spectator | A spectator who had been hit by a car while he was crossing the track near completion of the race died of his injuries two days later. [40] [127] |
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October 15, 1950 | AAA | California State Fairgrounds | 100-mile race | Race | Spectator | Tony Bettenhausen ran into and climbed up the rear of Walt Faulkner's racer, flipped over and smashed through a fence, hurting four spectators, one of whom died the next day. [128] |
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September 12, 1953 | AAA | New York State Fairgrounds | 100-mile race | Race | Spectator | Trying to thread his way through Jimmy Bryan's spinning car and the fence, Chuck Stevenson hopped the outside wall, killing one spectator and injuring another 14. [129] |
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September 6, 1954 | AAA | DuQuoin State Fairgrounds | Ted Horn Memorial | Race | Mechanic | Rodger Ward lost a tire, locked wheels with Chuck Stevenson and spun into the pit area where he overturned, killing a mechanic and hurting eight other people. [130] |
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May 30, 1960 | USAC | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Race | Spectator | A makeshift 30-foot (9.1 m) scaffold, which had privately been erected in the infield, toppled from the flatbed truck it was attached to during the parade lap before the start of the race, when the people occupying the structure leaned forward to watch the field drive by. They either fell or jumped to the ground where other attendants were hit by tumbling bodies or debris. Two spectators were killed, 82 sustained injuries. [131] [132] |
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May 30, 1961 | USAC | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Race | Safety worker | After a fire on Eddie Johnson's racer had been put out, a fire truck which was retreating from the scene backed over and killed a safety worker who was clearing a path for the vehicle. [133] |
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August 20, 1966 | USAC | Illinois State Fairgrounds | Tony Bettenhausen Memorial | Qualifying | Stage manager | A scheduled performance by the Green Berets required a rope to be stretched from a platform mounted on the roof of the grandstand to the infield across the track. Shortly after a tow truck had tautened the rope, the structure came loose and plunged into the reviewing stand, crushing to death a stage manager. Two photographers who had occupied the platform fell to their deaths, 38 people were injured by debris. [134] [135] |
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Photographer | ||||||
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April 13, 1969 | USAC | Hanford Motor Speedway | California 200 | Race | Mechanic | Fuel leaking from Art Pollard's car was ignited during a pit stop, causing burns to two attendants, one of whom leapt back into the path of Mario Andretti's car and was struck. The mechanic died of his injuries two days later. [136] [137] |
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May 30, 1973 | USAC | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Race | Team member | Rushing to the scene of Swede Savage's crash, a fire truck hit and killed a crewman for Graham McRae on pit lane. [93] |
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May 24, 1987 | USAC | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Race | Spectator | A tire which had come off Tony Bettenhausen Jr.'s racer was catapulted into the stands by Roberto Guerrero's car and fatally struck a spectator in the head. [138] |
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September 2, 1990 | CART | Vancouver street circuit | Molson Indy Vancouver | Race | Marshal | Having pushed Ross Bentley's stalled racer out of a chicane area, three track workers rushed into the path of Willy T. Ribbs's car, which was coming around the corner. Two of them were hurt when colliding with the car's rear. The third sustained fatal injuries when he was hit and overrun by the left rear wheel. [139] [140] |
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July 14, 1996 | CART | Toronto street circuit | Molson Indy Toronto | Race | Marshal | After Jeff Krosnoff's racer had touched wheels with that of Stefan Johansson, it was catapulted into the air and fatally struck a track worker who was positioned behind the wall lining the track while on its way into the catch fence where it disintegrated on impact, the cockpit coming to a stop against the opposite wall. Krosnoff was killed, too. Another marshal was slightly hurt. [100] |
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July 26, 1998 | CART | Michigan Speedway | U.S. 500 | Race | Spectator | On lap 175, Adrián Fernández slammed into the outside wall in turn four. His right front wheel was torn off and hurled over the fence into the stands, killing three spectators and injuring six others. [141] |
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May 1, 1999 | IRL | Lowe's Motor Speedway | VisionAire 500K | Race [note 3] | Spectator | On lap 59, Stan Wattles crashed into the outside wall in turn four, shearing off both right-side wheels. John Paul Jr.'s car hit one of them, propelling it over the fence into the stands. As a result, three spectators were killed and eight others, two of whom were children, sustained injuries. The race was abandoned before completing the necessary 104 laps to be official. [142] [143] |
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This article lists the people who have been fatally injured in American Championship car racing during testing, practice, qualifying, or races since 1916, categorized into drivers, riding mechanics, and non-participants. The lists recognize "IndyCar" or "Champ Car" fatalities that have occurred in events making up the National Championship, which has been held by the following sanctioning bodies:
The National Championship, which was split from 1979 to 2007, has featured regular races, non-points paying (non-championship) rounds, competitions sanctioned by entities that did not stage the National Championship in the same year (such as the Automobile Club of America), and the AAA Big car meetings held in the 1946 season.
The most recent driver to be fatally injured in an IndyCar Series event was Justin Wilson at the 2015 ABC Supply 500.
Driver | Date of incident | Sanction | Track [note 1] | Event | Team/Owner | Car/Entry | Session |
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April 8, 1916 | AAA | Grand Boulevard ( Corona) | Corona Grand Prize [note 2] | Peugeot | Race | |
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May 13, 1916 | AAA | Sheepshead Bay Speedway | Metropolitan Trophy | Delage | Race | |
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August 27, 1916 | AAA | Recreation Park ( Kalamazoo) | 100-mile race [note 2] | Sunbeam | Race [note 3] | |
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November 18, 1916 | AAA | Santa Monica Road Race Course | American Grand Prize | Marmon | Race | |
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December 2, 1916 | AAA | Uniontown Speedway | Universal Trophy [note 2] | Premier | Race | |
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November 25, 1920 | AAA | Beverly Hills Speedway | 250-mile race | Frontenac | Race | |
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Duesenberg | ||||||
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October 1, 1921 | AAA | Fresno Speedway | San Joaquin Valley Classic | Frontenac | Race | |
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September 17, 1922 | AAA | Kansas City Speedway | 300-mile race | Cliff Durant | Miller | Race |
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September 4, 1923 | AAA | Altoona Speedway | 200-mile race | Duesenberg | Race | |
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September 1, 1924 | AAA | Altoona Speedway | Fall Classic | Duesenberg – Duesenberg SC | Race | |
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September 15, 1924 | AAA | New York State Fairgrounds | 150-mile race | Miller | Race | |
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October 16, 1924 | AAA | Charlotte Speedway | 250-mile race | Duesenberg | Practice | |
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April 22, 1925 | Long Island Motor Parkway | Private test | Fred Wells | Wells's Hornet | Testing | |
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November 29, 1925 | AAA | Culver City Speedway | 250-mile race | T. W. Milton | Miller – Miller SC | Race |
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May 27, 1926 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Al Cotey | Miller – Miller SC " Elcar" | Qualifying |
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July 4, 1926 | AAA | Rockingham Speedway | Independence Day Sweepstakes | Jack La Cain | Duesenberg | Qualifying |
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October 12, 1928 | AAA | Rockingham Speedway | International Motor Classic | Mike Boyle | Miller FD – Miller SC "Boyle Valve" | Race |
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May 30, 1929 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | August Duesenberg | Duesenberg – Duesenberg SC | Race |
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June 15, 1929 | AAA | Altoona Speedway | 200-mile race | M. A. Yagle | Miller – Miller SC "Simplex Piston Ring" | Race |
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May 26, 1931 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Alvin Jones | Duesenberg "Jones & Maley" | Practice |
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September 12, 1931 | AAA | New York State Fairgrounds | 100-mile race | Denny Duesenberg | Duesenberg | Qualifying |
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May 27, 1932 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Milton Jones | Miller | Practice |
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May 28, 1933 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Ray Brady | Brady – Studebaker "Brady & Nardi" | Qualifying |
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May 30, 1933 | James Kemp | Buehrig- Duesenberg "Kemp-Mannix" | Race | |||
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Harry Hartz | Miller | |||||
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May 25, 1934 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Harry Hartz | Miller FD – Miller "Miller-Hartz" | Practice |
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September 9, 1934 | AAA | New York State Fairgrounds | 100-mile race | George Simmons | Oakland "Simmons" | Race |
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May 21, 1935 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Leon Duray | Stevens – Miller "Bowes Seal Fast" | Practice |
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Phil Shafer | Shafer – Buick "Victor Gasket" | Qualifying | ||||
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May 30, 1935 | Leon Duray | Stevens – Miller "Bowes Seal Fast" | Race | |||
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January 26, 1936 | AAA | Ascot Speedway | 125-mile race [note 2] | Bill White | Wetteroth – Offenhauser | Race |
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August 20, 1938 | AAA | Illinois State Fairgrounds | 100-mile race [note 2] | Lion Oil | Schrader- Miller | Race |
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May 30, 1939 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Lou Moore | Wetteroth – Offenhauser "Burd Piston Ring" | Race |
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May 7, 1940 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Gulf Oil | Miller RE4D – Miller SC "Gulf-Miller" | Practice |
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September 2, 1940 | AAA | New York State Fairgrounds | 100-mile race | Joe Marks | Marks – Offenhauser | Race |
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June 22, 1941 | AAA | Langhorne Speedway | 100-mile race [note 2] | Herman Hoppe | Hoppe – Riley | Qualifying |
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April 14, 1946 | AAA | Williams Grove Speedway | 10-lap Big car race | Julius Furslew | Furslew-Riley | Heat race |
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June 16, 1946 | AAA | Flemington Fair Speedway | Big car race | Bumpy Bumpus | Bagley – Hal DO "Burd Piston Ring" | Heat race |
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August 11, 1946 | AAA | Funk's Speedway | 20-lap Big car race | Charles Engle | Engle- Offenhauser | Race |
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September 2, 1946 | AAA | Lakewood Park | 100-mile race | Cliff Bergere | Wetteroth – Offenhauser "Noc-Out Hose Clamp" | Race |
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Ervin Wolfe | Shaw – Offenhauser "Wolfe-Tulsa" | |||||
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September 15, 1946 | AAA | Indiana State Fairgrounds | 100-mile race | Richard Palmer | Stevens – Offenhauser | Qualifying |
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May 30, 1947 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Lou Rassey | Snowberger FD – Miller "Auto Shippers" | Race |
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May 16, 1948 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Lou Welch | Kurtis 2000 – Novi SC "Novi Grooved Piston" | Practice |
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October 10, 1948 | AAA | DuQuoin State Fairgrounds | 100-mile race | Ted Horn Enterprises | Horn – Offenhauser | Race |
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May 28, 1949 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Lee Glessner | Shaw – Offenhauser | Practice |
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June 19, 1949 | AAA | New Jersey State Fairgrounds | 100-mile race | Bill Sheffler | Bromme – Offenhauser | Practice |
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November 6, 1949 | AAA | Del Mar Fairgrounds | 100-mile race | Ervin Wolfe | Kurtis 2000 – Offenhauser | Race |
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July 29, 1951 | AAA | Williams Grove Speedway | Indianapolis Sweepstakes [note 2] | Jack Robbins | Wetteroth D – Offenhauser | Qualifying |
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June 8, 1952 | AAA | Wisconsin State Fair Park | Rex Mays Classic | Roger Wolcott | Kurtis Kraft – Offenhauser | Qualifying |
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November 2, 1952 | AAA | Santa Clara County Fairgrounds | 100-mile race | Bob Estes | Watson – Offenhauser | Race |
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May 15, 1953 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Jean Marcenac | Kurtis FD – Novi SC "Novi Governor" | Practice |
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May 30, 1953 | Lee Elkins | Kurtis Kraft/ Wetteroth D – Offenhauser "McNamara" | Race | |||
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July 5, 1954 | AAA | Darlington Raceway | Independence Day Sweepstakes | Ray Brady | Kurtis 4000 – Offenhauser | Race |
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May 16, 1955 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Peter Schmidt | Kurtis 500C – Offenhauser | Practice |
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May 30, 1955 | Lindsey Hopkins | Race | ||||
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November 6, 1955 | AAA | Arizona State Fairgrounds | Bobby Ball Memorial | Jack Hinkle | Kurtis 4000 – Offenhauser | Race |
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May 15, 1957 | USAC | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Giuseppe Farina | Kurtis 500G – Offenhauser | Practice |
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May 30, 1958 | USAC | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Chapman Root | Kurtis 500G – Offenhauser "Sumar" | Race |
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July 4, 1958 | USAC | Lakewood Speedway | 100-mile race | Pete Salemi | Kuzma – Offenhauser "Central Excavating" | Race |
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September 28, 1958 | USAC | Trenton Speedway | 100-mile race | George Bignotti | Kurtis 500G – Offenhauser "Bowes Seal Fast" | Race |
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February 11, 1959 | USAC | Daytona International Speedway | Speed record attempt | Chapman Root | Kurtis 500D – Offenhauser "Sumar Streamliner" [note 15] | Testing |
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April 4, 1959 | USAC | Daytona International Speedway | Daytona 100 | George Bignotti | Epperly – Offenhauser "Bowes Seal Fast" | Race |
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April 19, 1959 | USAC | Trenton Speedway | Race of Champions | Jake Vargo | Kurtis 4000D – Offenhauser | Race |
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May 2, 1959 | USAC | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | H. H. Johnson | Kuzma – Offenhauser "Helse" | Practice |
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May 19, 1959 | Cornis Engineering | Cornis – Offenhauser | ||||
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July 19, 1959 | USAC | Williams Grove Speedway | Indianapolis Sweepstakes [note 2] | Jake Vargo | Kurtis 4000D – Offenhauser | Race |
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August 30, 1959 | USAC | Wisconsin State Fair Park | 200-mile race | Ernest Ruiz | Christiansen – Offenhauser "Travelon Trailer" | Race |
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June 19, 1960 | USAC | Langhorne Speedway | 100-mile race | Leader Card | Watson – Offenhauser | Race |
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May 12, 1961 | USAC | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Doug Stearly | Watson – Offenhauser "Stearly Motor Freight" | Practice |
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November 19, 1961 | USAC | Arizona State Fairgrounds | Bobby Ball Memorial | Bruce Homeyer | Phillips – Offenhauser "Konstant Hot" | Race |
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July 1, 1962 | USAC | Langhorne Speedway | Langhorne 100 | Jake Vargo | Kurtis 4000D – Offenhauser | Race |
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May 30, 1964 | USAC | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | DVS | Halibrand Shrike – Ford " American Red Ball" | Race |
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Mickey Thompson | Thompson 63 – Ford " Sears Allstate" | |||||
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August 22, 1964 | USAC | Illinois State Fairgrounds | Tony Bettenhausen Memorial | Bill Horstmeyer | Kuzma – Offenhauser "M. A. H." | Race |
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November 27, 1964 | Phoenix International Raceway | Tire test | Lindsey Hopkins | Lotus 29 – Ford " Pure Oil Firebird" | Testing | |
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May 14, 1966 | USAC | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Leader Card | Watson – Offenhauser " Wynn's" | Qualifying |
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May 7, 1968 | USAC | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | STP | Lotus 56 – Pratt & Whitney Turbine " STP Oil Treatment" | Practice |
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June 9, 1968 | USAC | Wisconsin State Fair Park | Rex Mays Classic | Pete Salemi | Gerhardt – Offenhauser TC "Central Excavating" | Race |
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May 14, 1972 | USAC | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Gerhardt Racing | Eagle – Offenhauser TC " Thermo King" | Practice |
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March 12, 1973 | FasTrack International Speedway | Private test | Page Racing | Eagle – Offenhauser TC | Testing | |
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May 12, 1973 | USAC | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Bob Fletcher | Eagle – Offenhauser TC "Cobre Firestone" | Practice |
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May 30, 1973 | Patrick Racing | Eagle – Offenhauser TC " STP Oil Treatment" | Race | |||
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May 15, 1982 | USAC | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Bob Fletcher | March 81C – Cosworth | Qualifying |
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July 31, 1982 | CART | Wisconsin State Fair Park | Provimi Veal Tony Bettenhausen 200 | Rattlesnake Racing | March 81C – Cosworth | Practice |
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May 15, 1992 | USAC | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Euromotorsport | Lola T91/00 – Cosworth DFS | Practice |
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May 17, 1996 | USAC | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Team Menard | Lola T95/00 – Menard V-6 | Practice |
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July 14, 1996 | CART | Toronto street circuit | Molson Indy Toronto | Arciero-Wells Racing | Reynard 96I – Toyota | Race |
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September 11, 1999 | CART | Laguna Seca Raceway | Honda Grand Prix of Monterey | Team Penske | Lola B99/00 – Mercedes | Practice |
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October 31, 1999 | CART | California Speedway | Marlboro 500 | Forsythe Racing | Reynard 99I – Mercedes | Race |
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October 22, 2003 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Firestone tire test | Chip Ganassi Racing | G-Force – Toyota | Testing | |
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March 26, 2006 | IRL | Homestead–Miami Speedway | Toyota Indy 300 | Rahal Letterman Racing | Panoz – Honda | Practice |
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October 16, 2011 | IndyCar | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | IZOD IndyCar World Championship | Sam Schmidt Motorsports | Dallara IR-05 – Honda | Race [note 3] |
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August 23, 2015 | IndyCar | Pocono Raceway | ABC Supply 500 | Andretti Autosport | Dallara DW12 – Honda | Race |
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✝ indicates that the driver was killed in the same incident.
Mechanician | Driver | Date of incident | Sanction | Track [note 1] | Event | Team/Owner | Car/Entry | Session |
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April 8, 1916 | AAA | Grand Boulevard ( Corona) | Corona Grand Prize [note 2] | Peugeot | Race | |
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May 13, 1916 | AAA | Sheepshead Bay Speedway | Metropolitan Trophy | Delage | Race | |
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July 15, 1916 | AAA | Omaha Speedway | 150-mile race | Peugeot – Sunbeam "Peusun" | Race | |
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August 27, 1916 | AAA | Recreation Park ( Kalamazoo) | 100-mile race [note 2] | Stutz | Race | |
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September 4, 1916 | AAA | Cincinnati Motor Speedway | International Sweepstakes | Stutz | Race | |
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October 14, 1916 | AAA | Speedway Park | Grand American Auto Race | Crawford – Duesenberg | Race | |
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November 10, 1916 | AAA/ ACA | Santa Monica Road Race Course | Harry Horsman | Mercer | Practice | |
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December 2, 1916 | AAA | Uniontown Speedway | Universal Trophy [note 2] | Premier | Race | |
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November 25, 1920 | AAA | Beverly Hills Speedway | 250-mile race | Duesenberg | Race | |
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October 1, 1921 | AAA | Fresno Speedway | San Joaquin Valley Classic | Frontenac | Race | |
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May 30, 1930 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | George Henry | Duesenberg | Race |
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June 8, 1930 | AAA | Michigan State Fairgrounds | 100-mile race | Ambler | Ambler – Buick | Qualifying |
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May 26, 1931 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Alvin Jones | Duesenberg "Jones & Maley" | Practice |
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May 25, 1932 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Alvin Jones | Duesenberg "Jones & Maley" | Qualifying |
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May 28, 1933 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Ray Brady | ? – Studebaker "Brady & Nardi" | Qualifying |
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May 30, 1933 | Harry Hartz | Miller | Race | |||
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May 25, 1934 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Harry Hartz | Miller FD – Miller "Miller-Hartz" | Practice |
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May 21, 1935 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Phil Shafer | ? – Buick "Victor Gasket" | Qualifying |
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January 26, 1936 | AAA | Ascot Speedway | 125-mile race [note 2] | Bill White | Wetteroth – Offenhauser | Race |
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May 28, 1937 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Murrell Belanger | Stevens – Miller "Belanger-Miller" | Qualifying |
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September 20, 1939 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Firestone tire test | Mike Boyle | Miller FD – Miller | Testing |
This section lists people who have been fatally injured in close connection to the racing taking place at an event while not occupying a race car including participants being on the sidelines.
Name | Date of incident | Sanction | Track [note 1] | Event | Session | Role | Course of events |
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April 8, 1916 | AAA | Grand Boulevard ( Corona) | Corona Grand Prize [note 2] | Race | Police officer | Due to tire damage, Bob Burman's racer skidded, turned over and dashed into a crowd of people, several of whom were injured. Burman, his mechanician Erick Schrader, and a police officer died. [1] |
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November 18, 1916 | ACA | Santa Monica Road Race Course | American Grand Prize | Race | Spectator | With his left front wheel buckling, Lewis Jackson missed a slight turn. His car slid along the roadside and struck several people, three of them fatally. Jackson died being pinned against a tree. [4] |
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December 2, 1916 | AAA | Uniontown Speedway | Universal Trophy [note 2] | Race | Driver | Frank Galvin lost control of his racer, smashed through the guard rail and slammed into the press stand, injuring several of its occupants and crushing to death Hughie Hughes, who had crashed out of the race himself and was standing by the press box. Gaston Weigle, Galvin's mechanician, was also killed. Galvin died two days later. [5] |
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May 30, 1923 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Race | Spectator | Tom Alley, who was relief driving for Earl Cooper, slid, rolled over and penetrated a fence, killing a 15-year-old spectator and hurting two other boys and himself. [121] |
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November 29, 1923 | AAA | Beverly Hills Speedway | 250-mile race | Pre-race | Photographer | Attempting a start before the race, Harry Hartz hit a photographer, a team owner, and a mechanic, killing the former two and severely injuring the latter. [122] |
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October 12, 1925 | AAA | Rockingham Speedway | Autumn Classic | Practice | Mechanic | The car driven by Vic Spooner veered into the pits where it fatally struck his mechanic before hitting the steel railing, being sent into the air, landing besides the track and catching fire. Spooner survived a concussion. [123] |
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May 30, 1931 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Race | Bystander | Billy Arnold's racer lost a wheel, which cleared the retaining wall and killed an 11-year-old boy who was off the speedway's property. [124] |
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May 28, 1937 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Practice | Pit attendant | Overton Phillips lost control of his burning car, the gas tank of which had been pierced. Spinning into the pit area, it collided with another machine and inflicted fatal injuries on two attendants, one of whom died four days later, with three other people being hurt including Phillips. [119] [125] |
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May 30, 1938 | AAA | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Race | Spectator | The tire and rim came off a wheel of the racer driven by Emil Andres, traveled through the air and fatally struck a spectator who was seated on a truck in the infield. [126] |
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April 14, 1946 | AAA | Williams Grove Speedway | 30-lap Big car race | Feature race | Spectator | A spectator who had been hit by a car while he was crossing the track near completion of the race died of his injuries two days later. [40] [127] |
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October 15, 1950 | AAA | California State Fairgrounds | 100-mile race | Race | Spectator | Tony Bettenhausen ran into and climbed up the rear of Walt Faulkner's racer, flipped over and smashed through a fence, hurting four spectators, one of whom died the next day. [128] |
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September 12, 1953 | AAA | New York State Fairgrounds | 100-mile race | Race | Spectator | Trying to thread his way through Jimmy Bryan's spinning car and the fence, Chuck Stevenson hopped the outside wall, killing one spectator and injuring another 14. [129] |
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September 6, 1954 | AAA | DuQuoin State Fairgrounds | Ted Horn Memorial | Race | Mechanic | Rodger Ward lost a tire, locked wheels with Chuck Stevenson and spun into the pit area where he overturned, killing a mechanic and hurting eight other people. [130] |
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May 30, 1960 | USAC | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Race | Spectator | A makeshift 30-foot (9.1 m) scaffold, which had privately been erected in the infield, toppled from the flatbed truck it was attached to during the parade lap before the start of the race, when the people occupying the structure leaned forward to watch the field drive by. They either fell or jumped to the ground where other attendants were hit by tumbling bodies or debris. Two spectators were killed, 82 sustained injuries. [131] [132] |
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May 30, 1961 | USAC | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Race | Safety worker | After a fire on Eddie Johnson's racer had been put out, a fire truck which was retreating from the scene backed over and killed a safety worker who was clearing a path for the vehicle. [133] |
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August 20, 1966 | USAC | Illinois State Fairgrounds | Tony Bettenhausen Memorial | Qualifying | Stage manager | A scheduled performance by the Green Berets required a rope to be stretched from a platform mounted on the roof of the grandstand to the infield across the track. Shortly after a tow truck had tautened the rope, the structure came loose and plunged into the reviewing stand, crushing to death a stage manager. Two photographers who had occupied the platform fell to their deaths, 38 people were injured by debris. [134] [135] |
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April 13, 1969 | USAC | Hanford Motor Speedway | California 200 | Race | Mechanic | Fuel leaking from Art Pollard's car was ignited during a pit stop, causing burns to two attendants, one of whom leapt back into the path of Mario Andretti's car and was struck. The mechanic died of his injuries two days later. [136] [137] |
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May 30, 1973 | USAC | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Race | Team member | Rushing to the scene of Swede Savage's crash, a fire truck hit and killed a crewman for Graham McRae on pit lane. [93] |
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May 24, 1987 | USAC | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Race | Spectator | A tire which had come off Tony Bettenhausen Jr.'s racer was catapulted into the stands by Roberto Guerrero's car and fatally struck a spectator in the head. [138] |
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September 2, 1990 | CART | Vancouver street circuit | Molson Indy Vancouver | Race | Marshal | Having pushed Ross Bentley's stalled racer out of a chicane area, three track workers rushed into the path of Willy T. Ribbs's car, which was coming around the corner. Two of them were hurt when colliding with the car's rear. The third sustained fatal injuries when he was hit and overrun by the left rear wheel. [139] [140] |
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July 14, 1996 | CART | Toronto street circuit | Molson Indy Toronto | Race | Marshal | After Jeff Krosnoff's racer had touched wheels with that of Stefan Johansson, it was catapulted into the air and fatally struck a track worker who was positioned behind the wall lining the track while on its way into the catch fence where it disintegrated on impact, the cockpit coming to a stop against the opposite wall. Krosnoff was killed, too. Another marshal was slightly hurt. [100] |
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July 26, 1998 | CART | Michigan Speedway | U.S. 500 | Race | Spectator | On lap 175, Adrián Fernández slammed into the outside wall in turn four. His right front wheel was torn off and hurled over the fence into the stands, killing three spectators and injuring six others. [141] |
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May 1, 1999 | IRL | Lowe's Motor Speedway | VisionAire 500K | Race [note 3] | Spectator | On lap 59, Stan Wattles crashed into the outside wall in turn four, shearing off both right-side wheels. John Paul Jr.'s car hit one of them, propelling it over the fence into the stands. As a result, three spectators were killed and eight others, two of whom were children, sustained injuries. The race was abandoned before completing the necessary 104 laps to be official. [142] [143] |
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