Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 21, 1994 TAG: 9408210105
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BROOKLYN, MICH. LENGTH: Medium
The 35-year-old Irvan, a native of Salinas, Calif., hit the wall nearly head-on at the exit to turn two on the 2-mile, high-banked oval during practice for today's GM Goodwrench Dealers 400. Witnesses said the incident apparently was caused by a cut tire.
He had been running laps at about 176 mph.
Irvan, who now makes his home in Rockwell, N.C., sustained multiple injuries, the most severe a fractured skull and collapsed lungs, and remained on life support systems at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ypsilanti, about 50 miles away. He was transported by helicopter to the hospital minutes after the early morning crash.
Asked to assess Irvan's chances of survival, Dr. Errol Erlandson, a vascular surgeon who was the trauma surgeon on duty at the hospital when Irvan arrived, said, "He has received some severe injuries to two major systems, either one of More on Irvan. E1, E13. which in their severity as assessed at this time could be fatal. In this business, I believe the prognosis cannot be stated. We trust, with minute-to-minute support, the best outcome will occur. I cannot predict."
Brian Vandercook, spokesman for the Robert Yates Racing team, said, "Like the doctor explained, we don't know what's going to happen right now, but we do know several things: Ernie is a fighter and that he always has a good attitude when the odds are tough."
Irvan joined Robert Yates Racing last September as the full-time replacement for Davey Allison, who was killed in July 1993 in a helicopter accident. That was the second major blow of last season for NASCAR, which also lost 1992 Winston Cup champion Alan Kulwicki in an April plane crash.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB