About Spinal Injuries
Excerpt from "Spinal Injuries in Motorsports" in Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy Review, Vol. 5, No 3 - Written by Terry R. Trammell, M.D. and Dianne B. Reed, R.N., M.S.N., O.N.C.

Driver Extrication From Damaged Cars:

Of tantamount importance to protecting the cervical spine after a racing accident is the technique by which the driver is extricated from the crashed car. In open-cockpit, open-wheeled racing, the full-faced helmet must be removed first, in order to establish an airway.

If the driver is unconscious, a full-faced helmet frequently adds enough weight to the head to occlude the driver's airway. The helmet must be carefully removed to establish an adequate airway and determine possible extent of head and spine injury. The driver is further stabilized by application of a specially designed extrication device to maintain the neck in neutral position and provide very slight traction.

Removal of the driver from the car then proceeds, using the extrication device that provides for spinal support going from around the driver's chest and waist before extrication from the car. Proper use of the extrication device is extremely important to prevent further injuries should a cervical spine fracture be present. Indy racing cars have very narrow cockpits, and the driver's position in the car makes it difficult to perform the extrication. Special extraction equipment has been designed (See Fig. #1) to accomodate the narrow width of the Indy racing car, which precludes the use of the usual KED board for driver immobilization such as that used in sedan type car extrication. It is always applied to an unconscious driver for extrication.

With an open-faced helmet, an adequate airway can be established without the hemet being removed. If a lighter, open-faced helmet is worn by the crash victim, it is probably safer to leave the helmet in place and stabilize the cervical spine beneath the helmet, extricating the driver from the car and removing the helmet after the driver has been secured to a backboard and with neck braced.

Removal of a conscious driver from an Indy race car presents rather unique problems. On several well-documented occasions, drivers who have been involved in a motorsports crash have removed themselves from the car, voiced no complaints of neck pain at the scene of the accident and subsequently have been found to have a serious fracture of their cervical spine that required operative treatment. It is felt that this occurs when drivers, shocked and filled with adrenaline after their accidents, are unaware of being injured.


Fig. 1) Race car driver extrication device, developed by Dr. Rick Timms. The device supports the head, spine, and neck, and is secured to the driver by a sacropubic support and its torso wrap.