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| | Saturday, October 16 | |||||
| FORT WORTH, Texas -- Twelve people, including nine members of Tyce Carlson's crew, were injured Saturday when rookie Niclas Jonsson lost control of his car on pit road during practice for the Indy Racing League's Mall.com 500.
None of the injuries were considered life-threatening. Jonsson
sustained a slight concussion and was among 10 people who were
hospitalized. Carlson wasn't injured, but his father, Richard
Carlson, who has a heart problem, was hospitalized as a precaution.
The accident occurred with only a few minutes left in the
post-qualifying "happy hour" practice. Jonsson was heading back
onto the track after a pit stop when his car jerked left, hit the
retaining wall and smacked into Carlson's parked car.
Carlson's crew was working on an electrical problem. They never saw or heard Jonsson coming. The Swede had been building up speed for about 50 yards.
"There was no screeching at all -- just bam!" witness Jeff Ross
said. "They had just pulled the cover off the car and were looking
at the motor. I was looking right at the car and saw the car go and
the people go with it.
"One guy went flying in front, one guy ended up on top of the
two cars and another guy came hopping over the wall where I was."
Jonsson will miss Sunday's season-ending race, which would have
been only his second on the circuit.
Carlson, who qualified ninth, was going to decide whether to
compete on Sunday.
Team owners Blueprint-Immke Racing want to try and other teams
have offered "whatever we need," including crew, said Carlson's
team manager, Rob Yankauskas.
In addition to Jonsson and the elder Carlson, the other eight
people who were hospitalized included Speedway Motorsports Inc.
employee Brian Figg and seven members of Carlson's crew.
The conditions of Figg and the crew were not immediately
available. The injured crew members were: Tracy Hash, Tom Bose,
Jeff Howerton, Mike Alessi, Tom Beaudry, Greg Height and Bill Dyer.
Two members of Carlson's crew, Jason Beck and Derek Branch, were
treated and released at the infield car center.
The cause of the accident was not immediately known. Jonsson was
too shaken up to discuss what happened.
"I am willing to bet money he pushed the wrong button and
deactivated it," said driver Eddie Cheever, who was three pits
away.
Jonsson, 32, was the 27th and last qualifier. Even if
he felt well enough to drive Sunday, the damage to his car would
keep him out of the race.
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