Eric Wells allowed to race after that violent crash?

[IZZOJR16]

For one I feel terrible for him, talk about one bad night at the track, terrible crash and go from leading a heat to being out. BUT HERE IS MY QUESTION. I don't know what the protocols are after a crash like that with WOO (or any series for that matter), but what would the medics are first-responders have done to make sure we was fit to climb back into a race car? With all we know about TBI and the brain, unless there is an actual doctor on site to test for TBI ,or other series injuries ,shouldn't he have been sent to the hospital for further test?

[TheJet-09]

I'm with you, but I think it's an area where we're stuck in the good ol' days. Until someone gets sued or is found liable, nothing will change. As long as a person can answer appropriately to questions such as person, place, time, and thing (event), EMS isn't going to force you to go to a Hospital, nor can they (as long as you show you are reasonably able to care for yourself). There is also a great deal of "machismo" in our sport. No one's going to tell me (a dirt racer) what to do, and most certainly won't tell me I'm hurt, when "I feel just fine." Innovations in restraint devices and chassis design itself have greatly improved our chances of walking away from incidents as such "unscathed." But there's always potential for an underlying issue. I'm not really an Earnhardt Jr. fan, but I give him credit for taking a step back to look after his own well-being. It also reminds me he's not his dad! Senior would've raced with his eyes popping out of his head. Remember when he flipped at Talladega (I think it was) and they turned the car over, busted windshield and all, and he said "Hey, let's see if this thing will fire up!" I remember watching that thinking "Am I missing something?" They didn't check him or the car out, but let him continue? I don't know...

[kidrock]

I'm with you, but I think it's an area where we're stuck in the good ol' days. Until someone gets sued or is found liable, nothing will change. As long as a person can answer appropriately to questions such as person, place, time, and thing (event), EMS isn't going to force you to go to a Hospital, nor can they (as long as you show you are reasonably able to care for yourself). There is also a great deal of "machismo" in our sport. No one's going to tell me (a dirt racer) what to do, and most certainly won't tell me I'm hurt, when "I feel just fine." Innovations in restraint devices and chassis design itself have greatly improved our chances of walking away from incidents as such "unscathed." But there's always potential for an underlying issue. I'm not really an Earnhardt Jr. fan, but I give him credit for taking a step back to look after his own well-being. It also reminds me he's not his dad! Senior would've raced with his eyes popping out of his head. Remember when he flipped at Talladega (I think it was) and they turned the car over, busted windshield and all, and he said "Hey, let's see if this thing will fire up!" I remember watching that thinking "Am I missing something?" They didn't check him or the car out, but let him continue? I don't know...

I remember when Rickey Rudd flip violently in Daytona during the Busch clash and the next week raced in the Daytona 500 with his eyes taped open and the following week went out and won the race at Richmond.

[waaac77]

He was fine to continue. Walked away and went with paramedics to be checked out. There were two ambulances there and many EMTs. Were you at the race or just trying to start sh!t?

[old fan]

Flipping at daytona might be different then flipping at a 1/4 mile lol

[chupp n bloomer fan]

I remember when Rickey Rudd flip violently in Daytona during the Busch clash and the next week raced in the Daytona 500 with his eyes taped open and the following week went out and won the race at Richmond.

Oh yeah, I remember that. And his eyes still looked like Tyson clocked him.

[kidrock]

Oh yeah, I remember that. And his eyes still looked like Tyson clocked him.

Yeah he could barley open them that week as well and yes it did look he went a few rounds with Tyson alright a few seconds lol!!!

but, that chrash Wells had Friday Night was pretty violent in its own right.

[zyoung25]

I remember when Rickey Rudd flip violently in Daytona during the Busch clash and the next week raced in the Daytona 500 with his eyes taped open and the following week went out and won the race at Richmond.

Rudd was a real life Rowdy Burns, he even looked like him. I remember the line Rowdy had in that movie about racing with his eyeballs popped out of his head. I'm sure theres a lot of those old guys and think the drivers of today are pu$$ies. In some ways they are, and some they aren't.

All in all, safety is nothing to mess with. If a guy don't feel right being in the car, keep them out of it.

[fryefan]

He was fine to continue. Walked away and went with paramedics to be checked out. There were two ambulances there and many EMTs. Were you at the race or just trying to start sh!t?

Also, the EMT's went back to his pit area later on (before he raced again) to check on his condition and to make sure he was good to go.

[kidrock]

Rudd was a real life Rowdy Burns, he even looked like him. I remember the line Rowdy had in that movie about racing with his eyeballs popped out of his head. I'm sure theres a lot of those old guys and think the drivers of today are pu$$ies. In some ways they are, and some they aren't.

All in all, safety is nothing to mess with. If a guy don't feel right being in the car, keep them out of it.

Yeah Rudd was no doubt a warrior

[IZZOJR16]

He was fine to continue. Walked away and went with paramedics to be checked out. There were two ambulances there and many EMTs. Were you at the race or just trying to start sh!t?

LIGHTEN UP FRANCES, no I wasn't and no I'm not trying to start anything. What test would any of the EMTs done to make sure he was fine to race, I wonder what the checks would be? I don't know, but I find it hard to believe any of them are trained to detect possible TBI injuries or a complete check of internal injures. I find it hard to believe in 2016 a driver has that terrible of an accident and not sent to the hospital a precaution. maybe someone with EMT training will chime in soon.

[IZZOJR16]

Rudd was a real life Rowdy Burns, he even looked like him. I remember the line Rowdy had in that movie about racing with his eyeballs popped out of his head. I'm sure theres a lot of those old guys and think the drivers of today are pu$$ies. In some ways they are, and some they aren't. All in all, safety is nothing to mess with. If a guy don't feel right being in the car, keep them out of it.

I'm willing to bet some of the old guys wish people were more wise about safety in their days.

[waaac77]

LIGHTEN UP FRANCES, no I wasn't and no I'm not trying to start anything. What test would any of the EMTs done to make sure he was fine to race, I wonder what the checks would be? I don't know, but I find it hard to believe any of them are trained to detect possible TBI injuries or a complete check of internal injures. I find it hard to believe in 2016 a driver has that terrible of an accident and not sent to the hospital a precaution. maybe someone with EMT training will chime in soon.

Like the Stripes reference but I think you should lighten up and not be so worried about it. If the EMT's are not trained to detect possible TBI then they're not qualified EMT's and would not get hired in the first place. I find it hard to believe in 2016 an EMT that can't detect TBI and approve someone to go back out there or know whether or not they should take them in to the hospital.

[MotoMatt]

I agree with WAAAC77, my wife is a Neurology Nurse Practitioner, and the checks for TBI are actually pretty easy to train first responders for. And from my experience, EMT's and Paramedics are extremely serious folks and take pride in being cautious for safety and health sake. If the on site EMT's or Paramedics gave him the pass he was probably good to go. Now, I have seen some pretty scary looking safety staff at some tracks here in Iowa that if they said I was good to go would probably call the medivac chopper because I don't think they could diagnose a dead cat.

[IZZOJR16]

Like the Stripes reference but I think you should lighten up and not be so worried about it. If the EMT's are not trained to detect possible TBI then they're not qualified EMT's and would not get hired in the first place. I find it hard to believe in 2016 an EMT that can't detect TBI and approve someone to go back out there or know whether or not they should take them in to the hospital.

I HIGHLY doubt EMT's are trained to deal with specifics of neurotrauma. Do EMT'S use some type of cognitive test , why are you so adamant that EMT's can make sure without a doubt there isn't a TBI or other internal traumatic injury for that matter?