Suspension Wishbone Causes Horrific Injuries For IndyCar Driver

A report from RACER on the cause and extent of James Hinchcliffe’s injuries after his Indy 500 practice crash makes for tough reading.

The Canadian driver suffered right front suspension failure and crashed heavily at Turn 3. He was taken to the Methodist Hospital with an injury to his left upper thigh and underwent surgery, before being moved to an Intensive Care Unit.

According to RACER, one of the suspension wishbones “penetrated the Dallara safety cell” and was the cause of Hinchcliffe’s injuries. The publication says the 28-year-old had the steel wishbone “enter and exit his right leg, then enter his upper left thigh, and continue into his pelvic region before it came to a stop”.

The component pinned him down and the speedy safety team had to cut the wishbone in order to extract Hinchcliffe from the car. RACER added that he experienced heavy blood loss at the crash site but the doctors were able to stabilise the injuries in the ambulance. The article concluded by saying “Hinchcliffe remained in intensive care but was resting comfortably on Tuesday morning”.

IndyCar released a statement today confirming injuries to Hinchcliffe’s pelvic area and upper left thigh, adding that he remains in a stable condition, is undergoing further evaluations and has been ruled out of IndyCar competition for the foreseeable future. It also included a quote from Hinchcliffe, who said:

“Words can’t describe how thankful I am to the Holmatro Safety Team. Those guys, in addition to the doctors and staff at the hospital, are my heroes. I can’t say enough how much I appreciate the outpouring of support from INDYCAR fans, my family and fellow drivers. We are all one big family and it feels like that today.”

Get well soon, James! We are all wishing you a quick recovery.