Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 3, 1990 TAG: 9004030339
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
"Neil remembers pretty much everything from when we arrived at the hospital Sunday afternoon onward," Bonnett's wife, Susan, told The Charlotte Observer from McLeod Infirmary in Florence, S.C. "But he remembers absolutely nothing from before then - nothing.
"He didn't even know who I was until we told him. He didn't know friends and close racing people who came in.
"The doctor feels that Neil's memory will come back, and he'll make a full recovery. But the doctor said that it could be hours or days. Maybe longer."
Susan Bonnett identified the neurosurgeon who has been treating her husband as Dr. Kenneth Kammer of Florence. Kammer couldn't be reached.
"Neil took a really, really bad lick on the head. Much more severe than anyone first thought," she said. "They've done a lot of tests from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, and everything is negative.
"There's a slight cut on his chin and he's complaining of a slight sprain of the neck.
"The main concern is he just can't remember anything beyond getting to this hospital."
The incident that hospitalized Bonnett, 43, occurred on Lap 212 of the 367-lap race when a tangle at the front of a big pack of fast cars triggered a chain reaction accident. It was unclear exactly what happened to Bonnett's Ford. Bonnett was the only driver hospitalized.
A hospital source told the newspaper that Bonnett had been released Monday.
"We're going to our home in Alabama," Susan Bonnett said. "Neil will see a neurosurgeon there, but he won't go to a hospital. Being at home might help him regain his memory quicker. He doesn't need to be in a hospital because you can't treat amnesia with medication."
This is the fourth time in five seasons Bonnett has been hospitalized with injuries. He suffered leg injuries at Charlotte in 1987 that threatened his career. Last year, he broke his sternum in a crash at Dover Downs.
While Bonnett is sidelined, the Wood Brothers have named Dale Jarrett to drive their car.
by CNB