Well Tenorlove - have you seen this story ? Said 02/23/2001 - NASCAR officials: Earnhardt's lap belt was broken . >>more related articles... A worn or frayed seat belt? These cars - the tires etc. are gone over so closely how could a seatbelt be overlooked if this is a true story? Car was built in November.....big bucks in these races now and one cannot overlook sabotage but also maybe some consideration should be given to these belts for I have always wondered about them - by law you must wear them but I have put on safety belts that to me felt defective. Hope they put some time into this one - could someone have set a trap for that guy - they said he was either hated or loved - getting like World Wide Wrestling and someday people will just go to see someone killed. Like waiting for someone to bash ice skaters legs to boost ratings or dump a bomb at the Olympics in george to rev up ratings? Something is wrong here and it should be thorouoghly investigated.....these local guys I know all are still in mourning.....at least Earnhardt spared his friends the torture of a long funeral - it lasted only 23 minutes. saba SF Gate Home Today's News Sports Entertainment Technology Live Views Traffic Weather Health Business Bay Area Travel Columnists Classifieds Conferences Search Index Broken lap belt may have cost Earnhardt his life MIKE HARRIS, AP Motorsports Writer Friday, February 23, 2001 Breaking News Sections (02-23) 16:00 PST ROCKINGHAM, N.C. (AP) -- A broken lap belt may have contributed to Dale Earnhardt's death in a wreck at the Daytona 500, a NASCAR doctor said Friday. The woven nylon belt was found broken in the wreckage after the stock car champion hit the wall at 180 mph on Sunday, racing officials said. ``We don´t know how, when or where, yet,´´ NASCAR president Mike Helton said at a news conference. ``We will continue our investigation.´´ Earnhardt was probably thrown into the steering wheel because he was not fully supported, said Dr. Steve Bohannon, head of emergency medical services at the Daytona track. The 49-year-old driver suffered a fractured skull and broken bones in his chest and ankle, and died instantly. ``If his restraint system -- his belts -- had held, he would have had a much better chance of survival,´´ Bohannon said. The belt -- part of a harness worn by the driver -- is designed to withstand crashes of well over 200 mph. Winston Cup director Gary Nelson said the webbing that attaches the belt onto the car frame came apart. But he would not say how the material came apart or whether it was cut, frayed or damaged in any other way. ``All we know conclusively is the belt came apart,´´ Nelson said. ``We´ve talked to people in the business, and they say they´ve never seen it in 52 years of NASCAR racing.´´ Earnhardt's harness was made by Simpson Performance Products Inc. in Mooresville, which insisted that it has never had a problem with its seat belts. Company founder Bill Simpson, a former Indy car driver, implied that the belt that broke might have been installed incorrectly. ``Having tested and produced seat belts for the motorsports industry for more than 43 years, we have never seen a seat belt come apart in the manner that occurred,´´ he said. ``Our seat belts, when properly installed, won´t fail.´´ Richard Childress, Earnhardt's longtime car owner, didn't immediately respond to Simpson's statement. Earlier, he said the seat belts Earnhardt used at Daytona were standard and were new when the car was built in November. ``Mr. Earnhardt more than likely contacted the steering wheel with his chest and his face,´´ said Bohannon, who was among several safety workers who tried to save Earnhardt´s life as the driver sat slumped in the wreckage. ``It appears that probably his chin struck the steering column in such a way that the forces were transferred ... into the base of the skull.´´ The death of the racing great stunned the NASCAR world and led to calls for better safety measures. Earnhardt was wearing an old-fashioned open-face helmet. A closed-faced helmet might have made a difference, Bohannon said. ``He would have had a different pattern of injuries,´´ the doctor said. Like most drivers at the race Sunday, Earnhardt also shunned the U-shaped HANS device -- for Head And Neck Support -- which many drivers find bulky and uncomfortable. It fits around the neck and is attached by a strap to the helmet and frame of the car. ``I do support further neck and head restraints, but I´m not convinced the HANS device would have made a difference,´´ Bohannon said. NASCAR said it is not contemplating any safety changes for Sunday's race at North Carolina Speedway. Later Friday, Dale Earnhardt Jr. made his first extended public comments since the race, in which he finished second moments after his father crashed. He will be on the track Saturday when practice begins for Sunday's race. ``I miss my father and I cried for him out of my own selfish pity,´´ he said. ``We just have to remember he´s in a better place that we all want to be.´´ Earnhardt's widow, Teresa, expressed her gratitude to fans in an open letter Friday in USA Today. ``Remember the things about him that made you happy that you were his fan,´´ she wrote. ``Remember the man who loved life. He was the happiest person I know, and that can comfort us all.´´ · Printer-friendly version · Email this article to a friend 02/23/2001 - Broken lap belt may have cost Earnhardt his life . 02/23/2001 - NASCAR officials: Earnhardt's lap belt was broken . Feedback ©2001 Associated Press
