Racing star Dario Franchitti was involved in a serious crash this weekend, and along with the driver, several spectators were injured in the wreck.
Dario Franchitti was racing at the Houston Grand Prix on Sunday when the crash occurred, in a last lap alongside fellow driver Takuma Sato. Sato and Franchitti smashed into one another, sending the latter’s car flying.
Sato’s car was then struck by driver EJ Viso, but Franchitti’s vehicle landed on a catch fence. Both Sato and Viso were not injured in the multi-car crash, but Franchitti was taken away from the scene by ambulance and complained of pain in his back and ankle.
Ultimately, he was found to have fractured two vertebrae, his right ankle, and sustained a concussion in the Houston Grand Prix crash. Fox reports that Dario Franchitti was not the only person to be injured during the incident:
“Debris from the crash injured 13 spectators at the race, the Houston Fire Department told Fox News. Two of the spectators were sent to an area hospital, while medical responders attended to the others on-scene. An IndyCar series official was treated for minor injuries.”
Driver Scott Dixon commented, explaining that driving through the crash involving Franchitti, Sato and Viso was a reminder of the 2011 wreck that claimed the life of Dan Wheldon.
Dixon recalled :
“The smells and the visuals, for me, and even talking to Will, you have the remnants of Vegas popping into your head with you coming around the corner and you can’t drive through it because there’s a field of debris… There was no near the amount of damage that we saw [then], but seeing the replay was a big shock.”
Race winner Will Power concurred, saying Dario Franchitti’s wreck was a sobering moment despite his victory. Watch the thankfully non-fatal accident at the Houston Grand Prix, above.
