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| | Wednesday, November 17 | |||||
| POMONA, Calif. -- A parachutist died after crash landing into a guard wall of a race track during opening ceremonies Sunday for the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals.
Lawrence Yohn, 59, of Perris, Calif., was part of a four-person team that parachuted onto the Pomona Raceway as part of prerace ceremonies just before 11 a.m. PT.
The national anthem was playing while Yohn made his jump onto the track. Yohn struck the track's right guard wall while attempting to land, NHRA spokesman Anthony Vestal said in a news release. "It was definitely a tragedy and we regret that it happened," Vestal said. "Our thoughts go to his family. ... It was definitely a terrible thing." Yohn was taken to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center were he was pronounced dead at 11:30 a.m., hospital spokeswoman Kathy Roche said. Yohn was a skydiving instructor at Perris Airport Sport Parachuting Center and an Aztec Sky Diving Team member. He had jumped more than 2,500 times. The NHRA Finals continued as scheduled, Vestal said. It was the second accident during races that began Thursday. On Friday, 11 people were hurt after a dragster driven by Doug Herbert exploded at the starting line. Herbert was unhurt and the other injuries were not life-threatening. | ALSO SEE Toliver beats Funny Car champ Force at NHRA Finals
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