Inspection Detail

Inspection: 306947631 - Speedway Safety Services

Inspection Information - Office: Concord Area Office

Investigation Summary

On August 6, 2004, Employee #1, a speedway safety service employee, and coworkers were working at a race track to provide rescue and ambulance services for race car drivers and medical services for the general public. The Speedway Safety Service crew dispatched various two-way radios to associated track personnel and then drove the rescue truck onto the track and to their typical staging locations on the infield. At approximately 5:30 p.m. practice for the race cars began with the first race car division, completing eight to ten practice laps. Then the second race car division began their practice session. Five to seven race cars made their way onto the track, double file, and proceeded under the caution flag without a pace car. As the race cars were coming off turn four, the race director radioed to the acting flagman and instructed him to wind the cars up. The acting flagman furled the flag and shut off the caution lights in order to get the race cars up to racing speed by the time they returned to turn four. A Speedway Safety Service employee then radioed that there was a bearing on the track in between turn one and turn two. The caution lights were put back on and Employee #1 began running towards turns one and two, communicating through radio that he would get the bearing. Although the clean-up crew had already started to drive their vehicle to the track they were told to remain in the infield by the race director. Employee #1, then in the middle of the track, picked up the bearing as the first race car driver was driving his race car through the turn. The first race car driver was motioning to the next race car to pass him due to some mechanical difficulties, he saw Employee #1 in the middle of the track. The driver turned hard to the left, barely missing Employee #1. But, the second race car driver did not see Employee #1 and struck him. Employee #1 was killed.

Keywords: HEAD, VEHICLE, PPE, RACETRACK, STRUCK BY, COMMUNICATION, MOTOR VEHICLE, INATTENTION